Under the new law, men have the full right to beat their wives and children, as long as it doesn’t result in “broken bones or open wounds.”
A husband can face up to 15 days in jail if he seriously injures his wife with a stick, but the wife must prove her injuries in court while fully covered and in the presence of the man who beat her.
The law also forbids women from seeking refuge with relatives to escape abuse. Those who do can be jailed for three months.
Meanwhile, new rules target men’s beards.
The Taliban claim that a beard that’s too short makes men look like women, so short beards are banned, and several barbers have already been arrested.
Last month, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice mandated that beards must now be longer than a fist.
