The Ministry of Good Conduct, Prevention of Evil and Complaints Hearing has announced that employees of the Faryab Province’s Department of Good Conduct have prevented a forced marriage between a 14-year-old girl and a 70-year-old man in Tagabshan village, Garziwan district of the province.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: The press office of the Ministry of Good Conduct, Prevention of Evil and Complaints Hearing announced today (Monday, July 14) in a press release that the 14-year-old girl had approached the Complaints Department of the Faryab Department of Good Conduct and complained that her father had forced her to marry a 70-year-old man without her consent.

According to the report, the girl in question requested the intervention of the authorities to defend her religious and human rights. After receiving this complaint, the Department of Good Conduct employees summoned the parties and informed them about the religious rights of women in choosing a spouse, inheritance rights, and the need for an Islamic and humane approach to women.

As a result, the parties expressed regret and announced that they would behave in accordance with the teachings of Islam in the future. The marriage contract was annulled and this injustice was prevented.

Officials from the Directorate of Promoting Good Conduct in Faryab Province have noted that one of the main factors in the deprivation of women from their religious rights over the past twenty years has been the persistence of undesirable social customs and traditions. They have emphasized the need for awareness-raising and cultural reform to ensure women’s Islamic rights.