Child marriages have always occurred in Afghanistan. Officially they are banned, but according to UNICEF, one in three Afghan girls will marry before her eighteenth birthday. The UN agency reported 183 child marriages and ten cases of child trafficking in two provinces alone in 2018 and 2019.
Since the Taliban took power in the country, the situation has worsened. This is partly because aid organizations have withdrawn and the families now have to survive in extreme poverty. Moreover, girls of the orthodox Muslim regime are no longer allowed to go to school, while education actually helped against forced marriages.
“It is true that since the Taliban came to power, the situation has deteriorated,” agrees the village elder of the camp where Amina lives. “These people no longer receive food aid.” In addition, food prices have also risen sharply due to the corona crisis and the Ukraine war.
Unicef is very concerned about the trend. These types of girls often do not complete education, are at high risk of domestic violence and are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth. “A child marriage can mean a lifetime of suffering,” UNICEF director Fore emphasized last year.
clinging
The 5-year-old Sabera met a similar fate. Her mother has two more children, a baby and a disabled daughter. The $500 raised from Sabera’s sale helps them survive. “Without that money, all my children would have died.” The buyer is a couple who cannot have children of their own. The mother was silent to Sabera about the sale.
“I took her to that family on an excuse and secretly left her behind. She cried all night and then ran away to me, but they came for her again. Because she screamed and clung to my leg, they took don’t bring her.”
Still, the 28-year-old buyer, who owns a grocery store, has no intention of giving up. “If she cries we become sad and we doubt, but if she stays with her mother she becomes a street child. We can give her a better future.” His wife agrees. “We will do everything we can to make her happy.”
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