The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has reported that its enforcers prevented four women from being forced into marriage while addressing Sharia-related cases involving women in Kunar, Maidan Wardak, Balkh and Takhar provinces.
Ministry officials clarified that a marriage conducted without a woman’s consent is not valid under Sharia and is to be annulled.
The enforcers urged families to respect girls’ consent when making decisions about marriage, stressing that their consent is a requirement under Sharia and that women’s rights must be upheld.
Religious scholars and tribal elders also called for greater public awareness of women’s Sharia rights, saying that respecting these rights could help reduce cases of forced marriage.