Taliban officials have closed girls' highschools, barred their access to universities and stopped most women from working at non-governmental organisations.

Most of the poisoning cases since late November have been reported in the shrine city of Qom, with at least 52 schools targeted nationwide according to a new tally.

Most girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan have been closed since the Taliban took over in August 2021 after the group made a sudden U-turn on promises to open them in March.

In March, Taliban authorities ordered all secondary girls' schools to shut, just hours after reopening them for the first time since seizing power in August last year.

Allowing girls and women into schools and colleges has been one of the key demands the international community has made of the hardline Islamist movement.

Morocco's 2004 family code puts the legal age of marriage at 18, but it includes a clause allowing judges to give families special dispensation to marry off children under that age.

The indictment alleges the sex trafficking scheme ran for at least 16 years to 2018.

Publicly, the Taliban are attempting to push the narrative that they have watered down some of their more extreme positions.

Radzi Jidin says action will be taken once specific details are provided.

The announcement followed a furious backlash from social media users using the hashtag '#IAmMySong' to raise awareness.

Some religious authorities do not see child marriage as sensitive or worth discussing.