14. November 2025

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

Amnesty International veröffentlicht im Juli 2022 einen Bericht über die Situation von Frauen und Mädchen in Afghanistan. Dem Bericht zufolge scheine die Rate von Kinder-, Früh- und Zwangsehen seit der Machtübernahme durch die Taliban deutlich angestiegen zu sein (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 56) und würde zu den höchsten der Welt zählen. Im Zeitraum seit der Machtübernahme durch die Taliban [im August 2021, Anmerkung ACCORD] bis zum Erscheinen des Berichts habe es keine Erhebung von landesweiten Trends im Hinblick auf Kinder-, Früh- und Zwangsehen gegeben (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 57). Amnesty führt jedoch im Bericht mehrere internationale Organisationen wie UNICEF, das Danish Refugee Council und Too Young to Wed an, laut denen ein starker Anstieg von Kinder-, Früh- und Zwangsehen festzustellen sei. Amnesty habe weiters Informationen von lokalen Aktivist·innen erhalten, wonach die Rate von Kinder-, Früh- und Zwangsehen sowohl im ländlichen wie auch im städtischen Gebiet stark angestiegen sei (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 57-58).

The Guardian schreibt in einem Artikel vom Februar 2023, dass seit dem Bildungsverbot im Land die Berichte über Zwangsehen von Schülerinnen und Studentinnen im ganzen Land zugenommen hätten. Auch eine vom Guardian interviewte Staatsanwältin der ehemaligen afghanischen Regierung habe dies angegeben (The Guardian, 9. Februar 2023).

Das Overseas Development Institute Global (ODI Global) erklärt in einem auf im Frühjahr 2023 durchgeführten Umfragen unter afghanischen Frauen beruhenden Bericht, dass zunehmende Armut und Arbeitslosigkeit Familien dazu zwingen würden ihre Töchter früh zu verheiraten. Die Hälfte der jungen Frauen würde sich selbst für eine frühe Heirat entscheiden, weil sie keine andere Zukunftsperspektive sehen würde, in anderen Fällen handle es sich um Zwangsehen. Laut einer von ODI interviewten Teilnehmerin einer Fokusgruppe in Bamyan sei ein starker Anstieg von Eheschließungen, einschließlich Zwangs- und Kinderehen, die unmittelbare Folge des Bildungsverbots für Mädchen. Die Teilnehmerin habe selbst miterlebt, wie sechs oder sieben Mädchen im Alter von dreizehn oder vierzehn Jahren zur Heirat gezwungen worden seien (ODI Global, Dezember 2023, S. 11).

Im Februar 2024 veröffentlicht ODI Global einen Bericht über Veränderungen sozialer Normen bezüglich des Heiratsalters in Afghanistan, als Teil dessen eine Umfrage unter rund 2.800 Frauen aus elf afghanischen Provinzen durchgeführt worden sei (ODI Global, Februar 2024, S. 1-2). Für die meisten Befragten liege das angemessene Heiratsalter zwischen 18 und 25 Jahren. 69 Prozent der Befragten würden jedoch Fälle von Mädchen kennen, die vor dem Erreichen des von ihnen als angemessen erachteten Alters verheiratet worden seien. Laut Teilnehmerinnen würden Mädchen oft mit dem Eintritt in die Pubertät – der in der Regel vor dem gesetzlichen Heiratsalter von 16 Jahren liege – als heiratsfähig gelten. In der Vergangenheit seien Kinder-, Früh- und Zwangsehen häufiger in ländlichen Regionen vorgekommen. Zum Zeitpunkt der Interviews sei der stärkste Anstieg an frühen Eheschließungen in städtischen Gebieten zu beobachten gewesen (ODI Global, Februar 2024, S. 2).

Das US-amerikanische Außenministerium USDOS zitiert in seinem 2024 Jahresbericht den UN-Sonderberichterstatter für die Menschenrechtslage in Afghanistan Richard Bennett, UNICEF und die Gründerin von Too Young to Wed, die die Existenz von Kinder- und Zwangsehen landesweit in Afghanistan bestätigen würden (USDOS, 12. August 2025, Section 3b).

Amnesty International bestätigt in seinem Jahresbericht 2024, dass weiterhin über einen starken Anstieg von Zwangs- und Frühehen in Afghanistan berichtet werde (Amnesty International, 29. April 2025).

UN Women teilt im Juni 2025 mit, dass es in Afghanistan eine hohe Geburtenrate bei Jugendlichen gebe. Sie werde auf 62 Geburten pro 1.000 Frauen im Alter von 15 bis 19 Jahren geschätzt. Der globale Durchschnitt liege bei 41,3 Geburten. Diese werde durch Kinderheiraten verursacht (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 16). Statistische Prognosen von UN Women gehen davon aus, dass die Einschränkungen im Bildungsbereich zu einem Anstieg der Kinderheiratsrate bei Mädchen um 25 Prozent führen werde (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 24). Laut Umfragedaten, die UN Women im Jahr 2024 erhoben habe, liege das Durchschnittsalter, in dem eine Frau in Afghanistan zum ersten Mal heirate, bei 19,8 Jahren, obwohl es nicht ungewöhnlich sei, dass Mädchen bereits mit 14 Jahren heiraten würden. Berichte würden weiterhin darauf hindeuten, dass unter der Herrschaft der Taliban im ganzen Land Zwangs- und Kinderheiraten stattfinden würden. Im Jahr 2023 seien 28,7 Prozent der Mädchen unter 18 Jahren verheiratet worden und 9,6 Prozent unter 15 Jahren (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 25; siehe auch: Girls not Brides, ohne Datum). Eine Studie habe laut UN Women über einen Anstieg des Anteils von Haushalten, die von Frauen geführt würden und in denen Töchter zwangsverheiratet würden berichtet: der Anteil sei von zwei Prozent im Jahr 2022 auf elf Prozent im Jahr 2023 angestiegen (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 26).

Auch das Afghanistan Human Rights Center (AHRC) beschreibt in einem Bericht vom Dezember 2024 die bereits genannte Korrelation zwischen dem Bildungsstopp für Mädchen und einem beispiellosen Anstieg von Zwangs- und Kinderehen (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 2). AHRC habe für den Bericht 89 Personen aus dem Bildungsbereich (Lehrkräfte, Universitätsprofessor·innen, Bildungsexpert·innen, Aktivist·innen, ehemalige Schüler·innen und Student·innen etc) interviewt (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 3). Im Rahmen der Interviews habe AHRC festgestellt, dass ein besorgniserregender („concerning“) Prozentsatz von Schülerinnen und Studentinnen nach dem erzwungenen Abbruch ihrer Ausbildung zur Heirat gezwungen würden. Die meisten dieser Ehen seien Zwangsehen und würden vor Erreichen des gesetzlichen Heiratsalters geschlossen. Es würden keine genauen Zahlen vorliegen, doch laut einer Lehrerin aus der Provinz Kabul würden 70 Prozent der Mädchen nach dem Schul- und Universitätsabbruch in Kinder- und Zwangsehen gedrängt werden. Den Ergebnissen des Berichts zufolge seien zehn der Befragten direkte Zeug·innen von 34 Fällen von Zwangs- und Kinderehen unter Schülerinnen in ihren Gemeinden. Lait AHRC würden diese Zahlen auf einen deutlichen Anstieg solcher Ehen hindeuten. Eine junge Frau aus der Provinz Takhar, die selbst Opfer einer Zwangsheirat sei, habe berichtet, dass sie zehn Klassenkameradinnen und Mädchen aus ihrem Dorf kenne, die nach dem Bildungsverbot zur Heirat gezwungen worden seien. Laut einer weiteren Lehrerin aus der Provinz Kunduz seien 60 Prozent ihrer Schülerinnen nach dem Verbot zur Heirat gezwungen worden. AHRC habe 15 Schülerinnen interviewt, die Opfer von Zwangs- und Kinderheirat seien. 66 Prozent der Opfer seien unter 18 Jahre alt. Ein Mädchen aus Herat sei zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Hochzeit 14 Jahre alt gewesen und habe einen 25-jährigen Mann heiraten müssen (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 11).

Auch Humanitarian Action beschreibt im Jänner 2025 einen Anstieg von Kinderehen und nennt ökonomische Belastung als Grund (Humanitarian Action, 8. Jänner 2025).

UNESCO, die Organisation der Vereinten Nationen für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Kultur und Kommunikation, und das Kinderhilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen (United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF) schildern in ihrem Bildungsbericht zu Afghanistan aus 2025, dass 28 Prozent der Frauen vor ihrem 18. Lebensjahr verheiratet würden (UNESCO & UNICEF, 2025, S. 13).

Amnesty International schreibt in seiner Einreichung an den UN-Ausschuss für die Beseitigung der Diskriminierung der Frau vom Mai 2025 von weiteren Berichten über den hohen Anstieg geschlechtsspezifischer Gewalt in Afghanistan, einschließlich Zwangs- und Kinderehen. Laut Amnesty seien Fälle dokumentiert, in denen Taliban-Mitglieder Frauen und Mädchen direkt zur Heirat gezwungen oder Zwangsehen durchgesetzt hätten (Amnesty International, Mai 2025, S. 4).

Afghanistan International zitiert in einem Artikel vom Mai 2025 die Frauenrechtsgruppe „Purple Saturdays Movement“. Laut der Gruppe habe sich die Situation im Hinblick auf steigende Zahlen von Zwangs- und Kinderehen unter der Regierung der Taliban verschärft. Junge Mädchen, von denen viele noch nicht einmal die Schwelle zur Pubertät überschritten hätten, würden zur Heirat mit häufig deutlich älteren Männern gezwungen. Laut Aktivist·innen seien Zwangsheiraten in Afghanistan seit Langem ein ernstes Problem gewesen, hätten jedoch seit der Machtübernahme der Taliban im August 2021 stark zugenommen. Die Taliban selbst würden angeben, sich um das Problem zu kümmern. Die Bemühungen seien laut Menschrechtsgruppen unzureichend (Afghanistan International, 28. Mai 2025).

Inter Press Service (IPS) veröffentlicht im Oktober 2025 einen Artikel über den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Verbot der Bildung für Mädchen und dem Anstieg von Zwangs- und Kinderehen. IPS berichtet in diesem Artikel über eine Witwe mit vier Mädchen, der ihre drei minderjährigen Töchter weggenommen und mit ehemaligen Klassenkameraden zwangsverheiratet worden seien. Menschenrechtsgruppen zufolge sei das Schulbesuchsverbot für Mädchen ein Hauptgrund für den Anstieg von Zwangs- und Kinderehen afghanischer Mädchen, so IPS (IPS, 3. Oktober 2025).

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 14. November 2025)

·      Afghanistan International: Women’s Rights Group Warns Of Rise In Forced, Early Marriages In Afghanistan, 28. Mai 2025
https://www.afintl.com/en/202505289497

·      AHRC – Afghanistan Human Rights Center: Access to Education for Women under the Taliban, Dezember 2024
https://afghanhrcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Access-to-Education-for-Women.pdf

·      Amnesty International: Death in Slow Motion, Women and Girls under Taliban Rule, 27. Juli 2022
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa11/5685/2022/en/

·      Amnesty International: The State of the World's Human Rights; Afghanistan 2024, 29. April 2025
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2124593.html

·      Amnesty International: Afghanistan; Submission to the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, 91st Session, 16 June-July 2025 [ASA 11/9406/2025], Mai 2025
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/DownloadDraft.aspx?key=BUqC7cdwKnnVksTMtd10FeyU+qzXX7LagDeMCX0AUnxWcB8gK89nJtne4EMhNxW8

·      Girls not Brides: Afghanistan, ohne Datum
https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/learning-resources/child-marriage-atlas/regions-and-countries/afghanistan/

·      Guardian (The): ‘No escape’ for Afghan girls forced out of education and into early marriage, 9. Februar 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/09/no-escape-for-afghan-girls-forced-out-of-education-and-into-early-marriage

·      Humanitarian Action: Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan Afghanistan 2025, Analysis of shocks, risks and humanitarian needs, 8. Jänner 2025
https://humanitarianaction.info/document/humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-afghanistan-2025/article/analysis-shocks-risks-and-humanitarian-needs

·      IPS - Inter Press Service: Afghanistan: Ban on Girls’ Education Linked to Rise in Forced and Child Marriage, 3. Oktober 2025
https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/10/afghanistan-ban-on-girls-education-linked-to-rise-in-forced-and-child-marriage/

·      ODI Global – Overseas Development Institute Global: The mental health crisis among Afghan women and girls, Dezember 2023
https://media.odi.org/documents/The_mental_health_crisis_among_Afghan_women_and_girls_mh6O2uX.pdf

·      ODI Global – Overseas Development Institute Global: Changing social norms around age of marriage in Afghanistan, Februar 2024
https://media.odi.org/documents/Afghanistan-full-report-final.pdf

·      UN Women: Gender Index 2024: Afghanistan, Juni 2025
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/06/afghanistan-gender-index-2024

·      UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization & UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund: Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025, 2025
https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/media/12631/file/Report_AFG_Education_EXTERNAL.pdf.pdf

·      USDOS – US Department of State: 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Afghanistan, 12. August 2025
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2128421.html

 

Anhang:

Afghanistan International ist ein Nachrichtensender mit Hauptsitz in London, der sich an Afghan·innen und die Diaspora richtet.

·      Afghanistan International: Women’s Rights Group Warns Of Rise In Forced, Early Marriages In Afghanistan, 28. Mai 2025
https://www.afintl.com/en/202505289497

„The Purple Saturdays Movement, a prominent women’s rights group, has raised alarm over the rising number of forced and early marriages involving girls in Afghanistan.

The group warned that the situation has worsened under Taliban rule and called for urgent international solidarity to address the crisis.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the group described forced marriage especially among underage girls as a deepening social crisis in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The return of the Taliban to power, it said, has intensified the practice, placing young girls at severe risk of mental, physical, and social harm.

‘In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where a systematic gender apartheid regime governs, young girls, many not even past the threshold of adolescence, are coerced into unequal and forced marriages, often with men significantly older than themselves,’ the statement read. […]

While forced marriage has long been a serious issue in Afghanistan, activists say it has sharply escalated since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Key drivers include economic hardship, severe restrictions on women’s education and employment, and fear of Taliban retaliation, which together push families to marry off their daughters in desperation.

The Taliban, however, claim they are addressing the issue. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stated that it had prevented 38 cases of forced marriage during April and May. Despite these claims, rights groups argue that such efforts are insufficient and largely overshadowed by broader structural repression against women and girls.“ (Afghanistan International, 28. Mai 2025)

Afghanistan Human Rights Center (AHRC) ist eine 2022 gegründete Menschenrechtsorganisation, mit dem Ziel die Menschenrechtslage in Afghanistan zu beobachten und sich für den Schutz der Rechte der Afghan·innen einzusetzen.

·      AHRC – Afghanistan Human Rights Center: Access to Education for Women under the Taliban, Dezember 2024
https://afghanhrcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Access-to-Education-for-Women.pdf

„For example, the deprivation of education has led to an unprecedented and unparalleled increase in forced and underage marriages, the spread of depression and mental health issues among young women and girls, and an increase in suicide cases and attempts by victims.“ (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 2)

„The Afghanistan Human Rights Center conducted interviews with 89 individuals, including students and pupils deprived of their right to education, victims of forced and underage marriages, current teachers, university professors, education experts and activists, students and informants from Taliban-run religious schools (Madrasas), as well as officials, professors, and students from online educational institutions, and other relevant individuals.“ (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 3)

„E) Increase in Forced Marriage and Child Marriage

Afghanistan Human Rights Center has interviewed numerous victims, female teachers in girls' primary schools, and eyewitnesses, discovering that a concerning percentage of female students and university students, after being forced to leave their education, are coerced into marriage. Most of these marriages are forced and occur under the legal age of marriage. Although there is no precise data on this, one female teacher in Kabul province told the Afghanistan Human Rights Center: ‘My personal estimate is that about 70% of girls, after leaving school and university, are forced into domestic life and child and forced marriages. In the area where we live, there are many families that, for various reasons, force their daughters into marriage.’

According to the findings of this report, 10 of the interviewees were direct witnesses to 34 cases of forced and child marriages involving students in their communities, who were forced into marriage after the closure of schools and universities to girls. This statistic is deeply alarming and indicates a significant increase in such marriages.

Moatena (a pseudonym) from Takhar province, who is herself a victim of forced marriage and was forced to marry one of the Taliban fighters, told the Afghanistan Human Rights Center: ‘I know 10 of my classmates and girls from my village who, after being deprived of education, were forced to marry people they did not want to marry.’

Nawida Kamali (a pseudonym), a female teacher in Kunduz province, stated to the Afghanistan Human Rights Center: ‘As far as I know about 60% of my female students have been forced into marriage after the ban on education. With the schools closed, these girls have no hope for personal and educational development, they can't become self-sufficient, they can't work, so for these reasons, they are forced to marry. This has been seen everywhere. As a result, it is natural that they are suffering from mental illnesses, and most of the patients who visit psychiatrists are young girls deprived of education.’

F) Victims of Forced and Child Marriage among Students

Despite the existing restrictions in the country, the Afghanistan Human Rights Center has managed to interview 15 students who are victims of forced and underage marriages, either directly or through close relatives and acquaintances. The findings of this research show that 91% of these marriages were forced and occurred without the consent of the victims, while only 10% of the victims reported that they married willingly. Even more shocking is that 66% of the victims were under the age of 18 and became victims of underage marriage. For example, Faiza (a pseudonym) from Herat was 14 years old at the time of her marriage and was forced to marry a 25-year-old man.“ (AHRC, Dezember 2024, S. 11)

Amnesty International ist eine internationale regierungsunabhängige Menschenrechtsorganisation mit Hauptsitz in London.

·      Amnesty International: Death in Slow Motion, Women and Girls under Taliban Rule, 27. Juli 2022
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa11/5685/2022/en/

„Yet under the Taliban’s rule, the rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan appear to have surged.“ (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 56)

„Surging Rates

Before the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan’s rates of child, early and forced marriage were already some of the highest in the world. For instance, around 28% of Afghan women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 were married before the age of 18. Since the Taliban took control, there has not yet been an assessment of nation-wide trends of child, early and forced marriage. However, several indicators point to increasing rates. In March 2022, UNICEF said that their implementing partners were reporting elevated rates of child marriage in cities, rural areas and among internally displaced families. A staff member of the Danish Refugee Council also said they were seeing ‘a sharp increase’ in the rates of child, early and forced marriage, based on reporting from their nationwide protection monitoring program.“ (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 57)

„According to Too Young to Wed, an international organization working on forced and child marriage in Afghanistan, the rates of child, early and forced marriage have skyrocketed where they are working, in Ghor, Herat and Badghis provinces. Of the families they interviewed in a recent rapid assessment survey, nearly one third were on the verge of forcing their daughters into marriage. […]

During its research, Amnesty International received several other reports from protection actors and local activists that child, early and forced marriage rates had spiked in their areas, whether rural or urban. For instance, a staff member of the Child Protection Network said child marriage ‘was happening before, but much less than now’, and a local journalist said she had observed ‘there is now at least one forced marriage in every family’, regardless of class background.“ (Amnesty International, 27. Juli 2022, S. 57-58)

·      Amnesty International: The State of the World's Human Rights; Afghanistan 2024, 29. April 2025
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2124593.html

„There were continued reports of a sharp increase in gender-based violence as well as forced and early marriage.“ (Amnesty International, 29. April 2025)

·      Amnesty International: Afghanistan; Submission to the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, 91st Session, 16 June-July 2025 [ASA 11/9406/2025], Mai 2025
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/DownloadDraft.aspx?key=BUqC7cdwKnnVksTMtd10FeyU+qzXX7LagDeMCX0AUnxWcB8gK89nJtne4EMhNxW8

„With agencies responsible for documenting and investigating cases of violence against women no longer functioning and the Taliban severely restricting women’s rights, reports of the sharp increase in gender-based violence, including forced and early marriage, continue to surface. Women facing gender-based violence are now left with no alternative but to seek support through the Taliban run legal and justice institutions or resort to traditional dispute resolution mechanisms which have raised human rights concerns even before the Taliban takeover. Additionally, despite the 3 December 2021 Special Decree of the de facto authorities banning forced marriages, Amnesty International, as well as the UN and civil society actors, have documented instances in which Taliban members have directly forced women and girls into marrying them, or have actively enforced forced marriage.” (Amnesty International, Mai 2025, S. 4)

Girls not Brides ist ein internationales Netzwerk von über 1.400 zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen aus mehr als 100 Ländern, die sich für die Beendigung von Kinderheirat einsetzen.

·      Girls not Brides: Afghanistan, ohne Datum
https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/learning-resources/child-marriage-atlas/regions-and-countries/afghanistan/

„28.7% of Afghan girls marry before the age of 18 and 9.6% marry before the age of 15.“ (Girls not Brides, ohne Datum)

The Guardian ist eine britische Tageszeitung.

·      Guardian (The): ‘No escape’ for Afghan girls forced out of education and into early marriage, 9. Februar 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/09/no-escape-for-afghan-girls-forced-out-of-education-and-into-early-marriage

„Since the education ban, reports of schoolgirls and university students across the country being forced into marriage have increased. […]

Yet a prosecutor for the former Afghan government, who did not want to be named for security reasons, says this is not being enforced and the number of forced marriages has risen markedly since the Taliban attacked girls’ right to education.

‘We are witnessing forced marriages in the provinces and Kabul. The very dire economic situation across the country causes more girls to get married off by their families,’ she says. ‘During the previous government, when girls were attending schools and universities, the rate of forced marriages had decreased. Now they are rising again.’“ (The Guardian, 9. Februar 2023)

Humanitarian Action ist eine Website, die Informationen und Daten zu globalen humanitären Bedürfnissen und Maßnahmen bereitstellt.

·      Humanitarian Action: Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan Afghanistan 2025, Analysis of shocks, risks and humanitarian needs, 8. Jänner 2025
https://humanitarianaction.info/document/humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-afghanistan-2025/article/analysis-shocks-risks-and-humanitarian-needs

„Economic strain has led to an increase in child labour, and early or forced child marriage, while displaced populations, including returnees and IDPs, often lack adequate shelter, livelihoods and social support.“ (Humanitarian Action, 8. Jänner 2025)

Inter Press Service (IPS) ist eine weltweit tätige, nichtstaatliche Nachrichtenagentur ohne Erwerbszweck, die sich schwerpunktmäßig mit Fragen der Entwicklung, der Globalisierung, der Menschenrechte und der Umwelt befasst.

·      IPS - Inter Press Service: Afghanistan: Ban on Girls’ Education Linked to Rise in Forced and Child Marriage, 3. Oktober 2025
https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/10/afghanistan-ban-on-girls-education-linked-to-rise-in-forced-and-child-marriage/

„After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, they banned girls’ education beyond the sixth grade. Human rights groups say the policy is a major driver of the rise in underage and forced marriages involving Afghan girls.

Zarghona, 42, a widowed mother of four, says her three underage daughters were taken from her and forcibly married to former classmates.“ (IPS, 3. Oktober 2025)

Overseas Development Institute Global (ODI Global) ist ein Forschungsinstitut, das sich auf internationale Entwicklungs- und humanitäre Fragen konzentriert.

·      ODI Global – Overseas Development Institute Global: The mental health crisis among Afghan women and girls, Dezember 2023
https://media.odi.org/documents/The_mental_health_crisis_among_Afghan_women_and_girls_mh6O2uX.pdf

„Increasing poverty and unemployment are forcing families to make hard decisions, for instance around early marriage. While in some instances marriages have been forced, in around half of the cases cited young women were opting to enter into early marriage because they saw no other future for themselves. Families in chronic poverty who cannot access credit are selling their assets and resorting to child labour and child marriage. In Bamyan and Paktia there are reports of children being sold for labour.

‘The first immediate impact of girls’ education ban in Afghanistan has resulted the number of marriages including forced and underage marriages have gone high. I have witnessed myself that six or seven girls at the age of thirteen or fourteen were forced to get married, which is very sad’ (Bamyan FGD participant).“ (ODI Global, Dezember 2023, S. 11)

·      ODI Global – Overseas Development Institute Global: Changing social norms around age of marriage in Afghanistan, Februar 2024
https://media.odi.org/documents/Afghanistan-full-report-final.pdf

„We have used both quantitative and qualitative research tools, building on the methodology already in use by the DROPS BISHNAW initiative. The data for this survey on child marriage is drawn from 11 provinces: Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Herat, Jawzjan, Kandahar, Nangarhar and Paktia. A representative survey was administered to 2,799 women using both online and in-person tools.“ (ODI Global, Februar 2024, S. 1-2)

„The quantitative data show that most respondents see the appropriate age for marriage as being between 18 and 25 years. […]

Of most concern is that the majority of respondents (69%) know of specific instances of girls married below what they believe is an appropriate age. […]

The qualitative FGDs explored the current age at which girls are getting married in respondents’ communities, and how current conditions have shaped attitudes towards age at marriage. […]

Participants explained that girls are often deemed ready for marriage upon reaching puberty, which tends to be below the legal age or marriage of 16. They said child, early and forced marriages were always more common in rural areas than in cities, although the sharpest rise in early marriages is now occurring in urban areas as a result of Taliban restrictions on other opportunities for women and girls.“ (ODI Global, Februar 2024, S. 2)

Die United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) ist das mit Geschlechtergleichstellung und Empowerment befasste UNO-Organ.

·      UN Women: Gender Index 2024: Afghanistan, Juni 2025
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/06/afghanistan-gender-index-2024

„A high adolescent birth rate (SDG 3.7.2) – currently projected at 62 for every 1,000 women aged 15–19, higher than the global average of 41.3 – is driven by child marriage and early childbearing and thrusts girls prematurely into adult roles and limits empowerment.“ (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 16)

„As women’s opportunities for income generation continue to shrink and conservative gender norms intensify, expectations on the role of women to bear children are likely to escalate. Statistical forecasting correlates the ban on education for women and girls with a greater risk of child marriage, early childbearing and maternal mortality. These statistical projections estimate that the restrictions on education will be associated with the child marriage rate among girls increasing by 25 per cent, early childbearing among adolescent girls climbing by 45 per cent, and maternal mortality among girls and women rising by at least 50 per cent.“ (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 24)

„According to survey data collected by UN Women in 2024, the average age at which a woman in Afghanistan first gets married is 19.8 years, though it is not uncommon for girls to marry as young as 14. Under the DFA, reports continue to suggest that forced and child marriages are taking place across the country despite the December 2021 decree banning forced marriage. In 2023, 28.7 per cent of girls under age 18 were married as well as 9.6 per cent of those under 15.“ (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 25)

„In the same year, a study reported an increase in the percentage of women-headed households arranging child marriage for daughters – from 2 per cent in 2022 to 11 per cent in 2023, amid escalating economic and protection needs.“ (UN Women, Juni 2025, S. 26)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ist eine UN-Sonderorganisation, die den Weltfrieden und die Sicherheit durch internationale Zusammenarbeit in den Bereichen Bildung, Wissenschaft, Kultur und Kommunikation fördert.

Das Kinderhilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen (United Nations Children’s Fund; UNICEF) wurde nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg von der Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen als „United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund“ gegründet. Ziel war es, Kindern zu helfen.

·      UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization & UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund: Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025, 2025
https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/media/12631/file/Report_AFG_Education_EXTERNAL.pdf.pdf

„Harmful coping strategies, including child labour affecting nearly 30 per cent of children aged 5 to 17 and early marriage affecting 28 per cent of women before age 18, further undermine educational opportunities, especially for girls.“ (UNSCO & UNICEF, 2025, S. 13)

Das US Department of State (USDOS) ist das US-amerikanische Außenministerium.

·      USDOS - US Department of State: 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Afghanistan, 12. August 2025
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2128421.html

„Child Marriage

According to a law enacted prior to August 2021, the legal minimum age for marriage was 16 for girls, or 15 with the approval of their father or a judge. The legal minimum age for marriage for boys was 18. The Taliban did not enforce the law.

A Taliban decree banned the forced marriage of women. Despite this ban, child, early, and forced marriage was common across the country. In his May 13 report, SR Bennett wrote, ‘Women and girls barred from the education system in Afghanistan are at increased risk of forced marriage, particularly where their families are under financial pressure. One woman, living inside Afghanistan, stated that she now had to marry, stating that ‘all of my dreams have shattered.’’ SR [UN Spcial Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan] Bennett noted special concern regarding allegations the Taliban had been involved in forced and child marriages without legal consequences, especially in rural and remote areas, saying ‘these coerced conjugal relationships, a phenomenon that also predates the Taliban’s administration, may also entail other violations, including rape, torture, forced pregnancy, and forced labor.’ He concluded the Taliban were reportedly providing no meaningful protection against either forced marriage itself or violence within marriage.

UNICEF estimated that 38.9 percent of women in the country between the ages of 15 and 49 were married before the age of 18 and noted that teenage girls who were not allowed to go to school were at greater ‘risk of child marriage.’

In an article published in the Washington Post on January 15, the founder of Too Young to Wed, an NGO seeking to empower girls and end child marriage globally, documented 118 girls who had been sold as child brides and 116 families with girls waiting for buyers in a makeshift settlement for displaced persons in Herat Province. The survey found 40 percent of families interviewed had either sold or offered to sell a daughter into marriage. The article cited economic conditions and the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education as being among the primary drivers of child marriage in the country.“ (USDOS, 12. August 2025, Section 3b)