The Taliban has lowered the minimum age for girls to marry in Afghanistan to the age of puberty, which under some interpretations of Islamic law can begin as early as nine years old, The Times reports.
Under the new rules, the age for marriage is no longer defined separately and is instead determined by the onset of puberty. The newspaper notes that the largest Sunni school of Islamic jurisprudence considers nine years old to be the minimum age of sexual maturity, although in practice puberty may begin anywhere between the ages of eight and thirteen.
Under the new regulations, a girl’s silence after reaching puberty may be interpreted as consent to marriage.
The law also restricts the ability of girls married before puberty to leave such marriages. A marriage can be dissolved only through a Taliban-controlled court and only under specific circumstances—if the guardians who arranged the marriage are found to be abusive, mentally unfit, or morally corrupt.
Abuse by a husband is not considered an independent legal basis for divorce.