A decree released by the Taliban barring forced marriage was a significant step forward. Two leading Afghan women said on Friday, but questions remained about whether the hardline Islamist group would extend women’s rights around work and education.

On Friday, Afghanistan’s Taliban government released a decree that said women should not be considered “property” and consent to marriage.

“This is big, this is huge … if it is done as it is supposed to be, this is the first time they have come up with a decree like this,” said Mahbouba Seraj, the executive director of the Afghan Women’s Skills Development Center speaking from Kabul on a conference.

The international community, which has frozen billions of dollars in funds for Afghanistan, has made women’s and human rights a vital element of any future engagement with Afghanistan.

Seraj said that even before the Taliban took over the country on Aug. 15, Afghan politicians had struggled to form such a clear policy on women’s rights around marriage.

“Now what we have to do as the women of this country is we should make sure this actually takes place and gets implemented,” said Seraj, whose shelter is a refuge for vulnerable women.

Roya Rahmani, the former ambassador for Afghanistan to the United States, echoed her optimism and added that it was likely partly an attempt to smooth over international fears over the group’s track record on women’s rights as the Taliban administration seeks to get in funding released.

“An amazing thing if it does get implemented,” Rahmani told the Reuters Next panel, adding details such as who would ensure that girls’ consent was not coerced by family members would be essential.

“It’s a brilliant move on the part of Taliban at this point because one of the (pieces of) news that is attracting the West’s attention is the fact little girls are being sold as property to others to feed the rest of the family,” she said.