Afghan families forced to sell daughters as child brides to get money for food: Report

As chaos continues to tighten its grip on Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, families in the war-torn nation are forced to sell their young daughters as child brides and use the money to buy food. As the Afghan economy continues to crumble, CNN stated that an Afghan father was forced to sell his nine-year-old daughter to a 55-year-old man as a child bride pleading that the buyer does not beat the young child. Reportedly, it was the price that Abdul Malik had to pay to feed the rest of the family starving as the country’s economy collapses. 

The nine-year-old girl, Parwana Malik told CNN on 22 October that her buyer is an “old man” and she worries that he will beat her and force her to work in his house. However, her parents have reportedly said that they have no choice. The media outlet noted that for four years, her family lived in Afghanistan’s displacement camp in Badghis province. While they were surviving on humanitarian aid and carrying out menial work to earn a few dollars, their life specifically got harder since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan on 15 August. 

The report noted that international aid for Afghanistan has dried up and the economy of the country is collapsing, families such as Malik’s are unable to afford basic necessities like food. Her father already sold her 12-year-old sister several months ago. Reportedly, she is one of the many girls who have been sold into marriage as the country’s humanitarian crisis escalated. The scarcity of food in the country has pushed some families to make devastating choices especially as winter is approaching. 

Mohammad Naiem Nazem, a human rights activist in Badghis reportedly said, “Day by day, the numbers are increasing of families selling their children...Lack of food, lack of work, the families feel they have to do this."

22.8 million to face severe hunger: UN

Even the United Nations (UN) agencies have warned that the crisis in Afghanistan is worsening and have allocated millions for emergency aid to assist the vulnerable population of 20 million. A recent report issued by the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster of Afghanistan, co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Food Program (WFP), more than half of Afghanistan's population (a record 22.8 million) will experience extreme food insecurity from November. The WFP report has stated that the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, drought, and the economic crisis have impacted livelihoods and access to food.

(IMAGE: AP)