A 45-year-old man married a six-year-old girl in Afghanistan’s Helmand province following which images of the child bride circulated on social media, drawing condemnation. As per reports, Taliban stopped the man from taking the girl home saying that she could instead be sent to her husband at age nine. The child’s father and the groom were arrested in the Marjah district, where the marriage ceremony took place but no charges have been filed. The groom, reportedly already married to two women, is said to have paid the girl’s family in exchange for her. The girl remains with her parents for now, as per reports. According to Hasht-e Subh Daily, the transaction was conducted through the widespread practice of walwar — a bride price based on the girl’s physical appearance, education level and perceived value. Child Marriage In Afghanistan Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, child marriage- already endemic in Afghanistan- has sharply risen. UN Women reported a 25% surge in child marriages and a 45% increase in childbearing among girls following the Taliban’s bans on female education and employment. UNICEF ranks Afghanistan among the top countries for child brides globally. There is currently no legal minimum age for marriage under Taliban rule. The previous civil code, which set the minimum age for girls at 16, has not been reinstated. Instead, marriages are governed by interpretations of Islamic law. Under the Hanafi school, a girl may be married once she reaches puberty but there is no consensus on when that begins. The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders- Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani- on charges of crimes against humanity for their treatment of women and girls. The Taliban rejected the warrants, calling them an “insult to the beliefs of Muslims.” Meanwhile, the crackdown on women and girls continues in Afghanistan where girls have been banned from secondary schools and universities. Women are barred from most jobs, public parks, gyms and even bathhouses. A male guardian is required for travel and all women must cover their faces in public.