By CIC International Affairs.
TALIBANS INTRODUCES LAW TO ALLOW MEN TO PHYSICALLY DISCIPLINE WIVES AND CHILDREN.
A newly unveiled 90-page penal code by the Taliban in Afghanistan permits husbands to physically discipline their wives and children, provided the punishment does not leave broken bones or open wounds.
Under the provisions, a husband accused of using what is described as obscene force including cases involving visible fractures or serious injuries would face a maximum jail term of 15 days.
Prosecution would proceed only if the wife is able to establish proof of the abuse before a court.
The code further stipulates that a married woman may be sentenced to up to three months in detention if she visits family members without first obtaining clear consent from her husband.
Rights advocates say the wording of the legislation effectively reduces wives to the status of property or slaves of their spouses.
They also note that it dismantles key safeguards, including the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, EVAW, enacted during the former Western-backed administration.
The exiled Afghan human rights organisation Rawadari, which obtained a copy of the document, warned that the measures would legitimise the abuse, maltreatment, and punishment of women and children, leaving them vulnerable to continued domestic violence.
According to the group, restricting women’s ability to visit relatives removes one of the limited protections available in a country where formal and legal remedies remain scarce.
Rawadari called for the immediate halt of the implementation of the criminal procedure code by Taliban courts and urged the international community, including the United Nations and other relevant international bodies, to utilise all legal instruments to prevent the code from taking effect.
CIC PRESS TEAM