When a family member goes missing, it can create difficulties for the family and increase its responsibilities. In such situations, understanding legal and Sharia perspectives and knowing how to follow up on the case can help clarify responsibilities and make decisions about the family’s future.
For some girls, ending an engagement is not limited to the end of a relationship. It can also lead to family pressure, social judgment, and concerns about getting married again.
Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, said in Article Five of a decree issued in 2021 that a woman has the right to a fixed share (Ashab-ul-Furud) and a residual share (Al-Asabat) of the inheritance of her deceased husband, children, father, and other relatives. No one can deprive her of this right.
The increasing use of social media and online messaging platforms has made communication between people easier. However, some inappropriate behaviors online can cause concern, harassment, and harm to individuals’ rights and privacy.
In a decree issued in 2024 by Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, leader of the Islamic Emirate, on “preventing improper customs in society,” article 1, paragraph 6 emphasizes respecting women’s right to dower (mahr). The decree says that setting an excessively high dower is not proper and that dower is a woman’s right, which no one else has the right to take. It also describes excessively high and burdensome dower as one of the undesirable customs related to marriage.
Islam emphasizes consultation, mutual understanding, respect for each other’s rights and responsibilities, and good treatment in family life. Legal experts and religious scholars say that consultation between husbands and wives on matters related to family life is one of the effective factors in strengthening and improving family relationships.
Salam Watandar has interviewed 25 women and girls aged 17 to 35 in different provinces and found that, for some of them, their families have become their main source of support and hope for the future.
Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, said in Article Five of a decree on women’s rights issued in 2021 that a woman has the right to a fixed share (Ashab-ul-Furud) and a residual share (Al-Asabat) of the inheritance of her deceased husband, children, father and other relatives. No one can deprive her of this right.
Long distances to health centers, economic problems, and shortages of female doctors, medicines, and medical equipment have created serious difficulties for women in rural areas in accessing healthcare services. According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, more than 4,000 health centers are operating and more than 35,000 health workers are currently working across Afghanistan.
Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, has emphasized the importance of an adult girl’s consent in matters of engagement and marriage in a decree issued on March 19, 2025. The decree states that a girl’s guardian must consult her and consider her consent when arranging her engagement, and that he cannot force her to marry without her consent.
A number of girls in Afghanistan, despite restrictions on continuing their education, share what they have learned with their siblings at home. Salam Watandar’s findings from interviews with 21 girls in eight provinces show that preserving their knowledge, continuing their learning, and helping family members are among their main reasons for teaching at home.
After a couple separates, maintaining contact between parents and their children is an important family issue. Religious scholars and legal experts say that in such cases, the children’s well-being, upbringing, and best interests should be given special attention. They say families should provide opportunities for children to maintain contact with both parents, especially their mothers, within the framework of Sharia and legal principles.
