'A Few Beatings Won't Kill You':Afghan Judge Told Woman Who Asked for Divorce

A disturbing case out of northern Afghanistan is shedding light on the terrifying reality women face under Taliban rule. A woman who went to a Taliban court desperate for a divorce from her abusive husband was turned away by a judge who told her that a little anger and a few beatings wouldn't kill her.

The woman, who goes by the pseudonym Farzana to protect her identity, recently spoke to reporters about the years of violence she endured at home. According to The Guardian, Farzana put up with the abuse for a long time simply because she couldn't bear the thought of her children growing up without a father. But eventually, a brutal incident pushed her to seek a legal way out.

Abuse Escalated after She Fell Ill

The abuse wasn't just physical. Farzana said her husband had a volatile temper and frequently mocked her for a slight difference in her leg length, cruelly labeling her ‘disabled’. The breaking point happened on an evening when she was too sick to stand and cook.

Recalling the assault, she told The Guardian, “One day I was very sick and had no energy to cook dinner. When he came home from work, he said: ‘Now you don’t even do the housework?’ I told him I was sick, but he beat me with a mobile phone charger cable. The marks on my back and arms remained for several days, but I didn’t think of taking photos that might one day help me in court.”

Taliban Court Dismissed Her Plea for Divorce

Still shaken by the beating, she took a massive risk and approached a Taliban court to file for divorce. But instead of finding a lifeline, the judge dismissed her trauma entirely.

Describing that devastating hearing, she said, “When I said he beats me and constantly humiliates and insults me, and that I want a divorce, the judge asked: ‘You want a divorce just because of that? Don’t you have another reason?’”

When she tried to explain the recent assault with the charger cable, the judge demanded proof. She didn't have any evidence to show him. What the judge said next highlights the sheer impossibility of seeking justice as a woman in Afghanistan right now.

Farzana recalled his response, “When I said no, he told me: ‘You were young and enjoyed your husband. Now that he is getting older you are making excuses to divorce him so you can marry someone else. Go back, you have a nice husband, live with him. A little anger and a few beatings won’t kill you. Islam allows a man to beat his wife if she disobeys him, to discipline her. Go, and don’t come again asking for divorce over such things.’”

ALSO READ- Decoding Taliban Rule: The Unsettling Truth Behind The Strategised Taliban Regime That Erased The Existence Of Afghan Women

Experts Warn Violence is Being Normalised

This isn't just one bad judge. Human rights experts warn that this kind of victim-blaming is the standard in Taliban courts today. Shaharzad Akbar, who leads the human rights group Rawadari, told The Guardian that women trapped in domestic abuse essentially have nowhere to turn. They either stay in violent homes or risk going to a court that will almost certainly send them right back to their abusers.

Under a new criminal code introduced by the Taliban, Akbar noted that husbands are permitted to beat their wives, provided they don't use ‘obscene force’, which basically means the law looks the other way as long as there are no broken bones or severe injuries. Even if a woman manages to prove the violence crossed that line, her abuser might only get a 15-day prison sentence.

Global Concern over Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

The systemic erasure of women's rights in Afghanistan continues to draw intense global backlash. Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai didn't mince words when addressing the crisis recently:

“This is not culture. It is not religion. It is a system of segregation and domination. We must call the regime in Afghanistan by its true name: gender apartheid.”

Meanwhile, Farzana's reality hasn't changed. The court’s dismissal left her entirely trapped. According to her account, she had no option but to go back to her husband, and the abuse has only continued, and in some cases, worsened.

ALSO READ- Taliban’s New Criminal Code Equates Women to ‘Slaves’, Allows Physical Punishment By Husbands

Keep reading Herzindagi for more such stories.

Image Courtesy: Freepik