In Afghanistan, men allowed to beat wives and children, provided bones aren’t broken

The Taliban has passed a law that allows men to beat their wives as long as it does not cause “broken bones or open wounds”, The Telegraph writes.

The Telegraph obtained the 60-page penal code – signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban supreme leader, and distributed to courts across Afghanistan – which classifies spousal beatings as “ta’zir” – discretionary punishment – rather than a criminal act.

Even where serious injury can be proven, the maximum sentence is 15 days in prison.

To pursue a complaint, a woman must present her wounds in person to a male judge while remaining fully veiled and accompanied by a male guardian.

In the majority of domestic violence cases, that guardian is the husband who committed the beating.

There is no provision in the code prohibiting physical, psychological or sexual violence against women.

Article 34 says that a woman who goes to her parents’ home without her husband’s permission – even to escape violence – faces up to three months in prison. Family members who shelter her face the same sentence.