Javed Akhtar Condemns Taliban Law on Domestic Violence

Well-known Bollywood lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has strongly condemned the new Taliban law, which has justified domestic violence. He called it an insult to humanity in the name of religion and appealed to Indian clerics and muftis to reject it unconditionally.

Domestic violence is widely permitted under the Taliban’s new 90-page penal code. According to this law, if a husband beats his wife without breaking a bone or causing an open wound, it will not be considered a crime. Apart from this, if a woman goes to her maternal home without her husband’s permission, she can also face a jail sentence of up to three months.

Javed Akhtar shared the post on social media and said that Taliban has considered beating a wife a crime only when there is a broken bone or serious injury, and for this also the burden of proof has been put on the woman, which is a terrible social challenge. He has stressed the need for response from the entire religious community so that such rules can be prevented from being implemented in the name of religion.

Analysts say that this code issued by Taliban is going to weaken the legal rights of women and due to this, bad practices like domestic violence appear to be getting government recognition. Earlier rights, such as the EVAW (Elimination of Violence Against Women) Act of 2009, are now becoming ineffective, making it even more difficult to get justice in cases of violence against women.

This step of Taliban has drawn heavy criticism even at the international level. Many human rights groups and international bodies like the United Nations have called it a serious and destructive step against women’s rights. Critics say that this law will not only promote violence against women but will also make them socially and legally incapable.

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