Moment Afghan teen begs Taliban official for divorce from violent husband – before he refuses and brands women ‘deficient in intellect’
An 18-year-old Afghan woman was filmed pleading with a Taliban provincial governor for a divorce from her allegedly violent husband, only to be refused and told that women are "deficient in intellect" and "mindless." The footage, captured for a BBC documentary marking five years since the Taliban's return to power, offers a rare, direct illustration of how women's rights and legal recourse have been eroded under the group's renewed rule, despite early claims that its approach had softened since the 1990s.
The woman told Jawzjan province governor Abdullah Sarhadi, a former Taliban commander once held at Guantanamo Bay, that her husband beat her and that reconciliation was impossible, but he urged her to stay, warning she would lose "dignity and honour" without a husband, while men around him laughed approvingly at his remarks. Her husband is reportedly demanding four times the original wedding payment before agreeing to a split, a sum her family has refused, and while Sarhadi said the husband would be warned against further violence, the woman's father now plans to pursue the divorce through the courts, though such cases rarely succeed without the husband's consent. The article also notes broader restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education, curbs on public speech, the recent legalisation of child marriage, and new dress requirements for female medical staff in Panjshir province.
- Taliban official refuses teen's divorce request, calls women "deficient in intellect"
- Husband allegedly beats her; he's demanding fourfold repayment of wedding money
- Footage highlights wider rollback of Afghan women's rights under Taliban rule
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Afghanistan has been governed by the Taliban since August 2021, when the group took control of the country following the withdrawal of US and allied forces. Since then, it has steadily rolled back rights for women and girls, including barring them from secondary school and university, restricting their movement and public speech, and limiting their access to work. The Taliban's justice system, based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, gives local officials wide-ranging authority over personal matters such as marriage and divorce, with women having very limited legal recourse, particularly in disputes with their husbands.
Provincial governors, often former Taliban military commanders, hold significant power at a local level, including influence over how family and marital disputes are handled. Divorce in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is difficult for women to obtain, especially without the husband's agreement, and cases involving domestic violence rarely result in formal legal separation. This has left many women with few options when seeking to leave abusive marriages.
The wider context matters because it reflects how the Taliban's approach to women's rights has developed since 2021, despite early assurances from the group that its rule would be less restrictive than during its previous period in power in the 1990s. International observers, journalists and human rights organisations continue to monitor these restrictions closely, as they affect the daily lives and safety of millions of Afghan women and girls.