WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid recent reports that the Taliban has effectively codified child marriage into law, permitting the forced marriage of girls as young as nine years old, Independent Women released the following statement from Meaghan Mobbs, director of the Center for American Safety and Security, condemning this blatant sex-based oppression:
“In Afghanistan, the Taliban has now codified child marriage into law, reducing young girls to property to be controlled, exchanged, and violated under the authority of the state. Afghan girls have been denied education, erased from public life, stripped of basic freedoms, and subjected to a system built on fear, coercion, and authoritarian control.
“The Taliban’s continued assault on women and girls in Afghanistan is one of the clearest and most systematic examples of sex-based repression in the modern world. And the silence of the international community has become part of the tragedy.
“Under Taliban rule, girls are handed over through forced and child marriages while so-called “consent” can be inferred from silence. A child’s inability to resist is being redefined as permission.
“Childhood, dignity, autonomy, and safety are being systematically stripped away from Afghan girls in full view of the world.
“Let us speak plainly about what this means in practice: state-sanctioned sexual abuse of children.”
“At Independent Women, we refuse to look away.
“We stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan. Their voices matter. Their freedom matters. And civilized nations must have the moral courage to say clearly that any ideology that normalizes the rape and forced marriage of little girls it is incompatible with Western civilization.
Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security works to advance policies that strengthen U.S. national security, support allies, and promote stability in regions facing conflict and extremism. Through research, advocacy, and storytelling, the Center for American Safety and Security highlights the real-world impact of global security challenges and the importance of principled leadership abroad.
READ MORE FROM THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN SAFETY AND SECURITY ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
- The Things Worth Dying For | Meaghan Mobbs | RealClearReligion
- No, Tucker Carlson. Unlike Hamas, the US military won’t rape women | Diane Banister | Washington Examiner
- Joe Kent Built His Reputation On Iran Warnings — What Changed? | Taylor Hathorn | The Daily Wire
To learn more about Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security, visit https://www.independentwomen.com/cass/.
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