Today Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places for women and children. Afghan women can no longer call streets and classrooms their own, and now their homes are no longer safe. With hers new politics When it comes to domestic violence, the Taliban have not only overlooked the crisis, they have become a state-controlled structure of society. Domestic violence itself is a deep-rooted societal problem, and now, under the Taliban, it has been reinforced by the state, creating a system in which abuse thrives.
It is more than just a global political failure. It is part of a broader political project. This political project Taliban in Afghanistan aims to systematically remove women and girls from public life and confine them to private spaces. Any well-read person understands that when a regime restricts education, employment and mobility, it seeks to close every possible avenue of escape for the oppressed. Now these women are no longer safe in their own homes because the state doesn’t care unless you bleed. The message is clear: there is no place to go.
Source: Canva
The Taliban present their position domestic violence not as cruelty, but as discipline and as a religious duty. All these religious attitudes can never obscure reality. It is clear that when a state legitimizes corporal punishment within families, it turns abuse into a socially tolerated norm.
Legalization of “discipline”: the new penal code in Afghanistan
According to reports from Kabul, Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has introduced a legal framework that allows husbands and fathers to “discipline” wives and children until there are no visible injuries, broken bones or open wounds. The 90-page document, known as “The De Mahakum Prize” has been clarified by Hibatullah Akhundzada and will be passed on to all courts.
It is clear that this legal framework for domestic violence and the protection of men is no coincidence. The Taliban believe that fading bruises, painful slaps and the psychological terror that torments children for years are not serious crimes. The implicit law is that it is permissible to inflict pain on women and children as long as it leaves no evidence.
The Taliban believe that fading bruises, painful slaps and the psychological terror that torments children for years are not serious crimes.
By reducing domestic violence to visible harm, the regime is ignoring decades global research This shows that abuse is not just defined by broken bones. Emotional manipulation, coercive control, financial deprivation, and repeated petty assaults result in trauma that can be as devastating as physical injury. It ignores decades of global research showing that abuse is not just broken bones, but much more than that.
Source: FII
Even more worrying news than the implementation of this disciplinary law is that the justice system is also doomed. Women/survivors seeking justice must do so appear completely obscured and accompanied by a male guardian, often the perpetrator. This literally makes reporting crimes almost impossible. A system that requires the perpetrator’s permission to seek protection is not justice, but deception.
The erasure of women from public life
Since the Taliban came back to power in 2021, they have been systematically dismantling the infrastructure that once enabled women to participate in society. were girls avoided from secondary schools and universities. women are excluded from employment. Mobility was restricted. Therefore, domestic violence should not be examined in isolation but in a broader policy context.
When women are deprived of their basic rights to education and income, their dependence on male colleagues increases. We know that a woman who is denied all basic human rights has limited options when violence breaks out at home. DV shelters were closed under the Taliban. Many independent women’s organizations have both dissolved or act in secret.
DV shelters were closed under the Taliban. Many independent women’s organizations have both dissolved or act in secret.
We know that the law wants witnesses. So when abuse flourishes in a place like Afghanistan, where there are no witnesses, no lawyers and no viable escape routes, this law becomes sheer danger for women.
Source: Canva
Children are also the most affected in this Taliban climate. In families where violence is normalized, young children learn about power and obedience. Boys will internalize their dominance over girls, toxic masculinity will prevail, and young girls may learn that submission is the only survival. This cycle will continue from generation to generation.
Don’t teach religion – keep yourself in check
The Taliban justify their policies with religious interpretation. Still, Muslim scholars Around the world, we emphasize that compassion, mutual respect and justice are core religious principles. We know that the Taliban regime, which uses religion as a basis for creating a hardline state, is purely dogmatic. Taliban ideology is not about theology, but about political authority. Controlling women’s bodies and homes is a means of enforcing this ideology.
A request for an international survey
Afghanistan’s development is not just a women’s issue, it is a human rights crisis that requires international consultation. International organizations have repeatedly stated that domestic violence is not a private emergency but a public one. UN Women has highlighted that gender-based violence increases in environments where the legal system does not provide protection.
We know that such patterns of discrimination and shrinking civic spaces have led to this Afghan women in this situation. These documents and reports from various organizations do not constitute a guarantee of changes, but are intended solely as a source of information. In Afghanistan, fear silences those affected.
The diplomatic dilemma
The world faces a complicated question: How should it respond? Diplomatic isolation will have an economic impact on ordinary Afghans. Engaging in Afghanization without denouncing the Taliban’s policies legitimizes their oppressive stance.
Source: Canva
Some nations are try to provide help and improve women’s rights in Afghanistan. But when domestic violence is tolerated by law, any such help seems null and void. We need a global voice, but it must avoid cultural stereotypes. Domestic violence occurs all over the world. The only difference is that Afghanistan reinforces it. Criticism should be directed at politics and the power structure, not Afghan culture or religion as a whole.
The future of Afghanistan is at stake
Afghanistan’s future depends not only on political stability, but also on the well-being of its families. A society cannot thrive if half of its population lives in fear within their own homes. Nor can it thrive when children grow up with normal abuse. Afghanistan’s future depends not only on the overthrow of such a regime, but also on the well-being of its people, especially women and children, under the oppressive Taliban regime.
Samriti Dhatwalia works as an editorial assistant at Delhi Press for Woman’s Era Magazine. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and is also currently pursuing a master’s degree. She dreams of writing a book in the near future.