Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, fragile policy gains for women’s rights have been dramatically
reversed. This London event will launch joint research by DROPS and London based think-tank, ODI, with the latest
evidence for governments and development actors to understand the impact of Taliban edicts on the lives of women
and girls.
Political insecurity, economic precarity and ongoing gender persecution have negatively impacted social norms
around age of marriage. The research shows how families are increasingly marrying off their girls to cope with closures
of education and employment opportunities – driven also by fear of forced marriage to Taliban leaders. Underpinning
this is deep gender inequality and patriarchal norms, which enforce a primarily domestic and child-bearing role for
women.
