Afghan Parents Sell Young Daughters into Marriage Amidst Drought and Declining Aid

Parents in Afghanistan are reportedly selling their young daughters into marriage due to extreme poverty exacerbated by recurring droughts and a significant reduction in international aid. In the Badghis province, where approximately 95% of the population relies on rain-fed agriculture and livestock, families are facing dire circumstances that force such decisions.

One mother, Gul Bobo, from the rural village of Tayz Nāwah, described how her husband's livelihood as a farmer has been devastated by unstable weather patterns. The family has resorted to marrying off their daughters, aged two and five, to make ends meet. "As a mother, I cried a lot, but I knew my husband had no choice," she stated, acknowledging the girls are too young for engagement and expressing fears of their future well-being, including potential beatings and early pregnancies.

The groom for her five-year-old daughter, Nazila, is reportedly 15 years old, and the child is expected to join his household in the next two to three years. Similar desperation is evident in other families; Bana, the mother of an 11-year-old named Gulalai, explained she sold her daughter to a shopkeeper in his late 40s to repay a debt. Her husband, Niaz Mohammad, justified the sale by saying, "We have to sacrifice a family member to save the others."

Many families have migrated from rural areas to cities like Herat in search of work and humanitarian aid, which has significantly diminished. The United States, once a major donor, has drastically cut its aid, a trend followed by countries like the UK. The United Nations reports that Afghanistan now receives less than 70% of the aid it did the previous year.

Mark Calder, advocacy director for Afghanistan at World Vision International, highlighted that early marriage exposes girls to severe health risks, and the healthcare facilities available to treat them are also decreasing due to aid cuts.

Darellah, 15, who married at a young age and is now pregnant, expressed her distress: "I am still a child… it cannot be a good decision to be married at that age." Her younger sisters, aged nine and 11, are also engaged.

In Khoshkian, eight years of poor harvests compelled Abdul Aziz to sell five daughters into marriages for sums ranging from 90,000 to 150,000 Afghanis (approximately £1,000-£1,750) to settle debts. One of his daughters, Mazari, who was married off between 12 and 13, is now 16 or 17, living with her husband and two children. Despite the hardships of early marriage, she noted that her husband and in-laws have been kind.

Sara, who fled drought-stricken rural areas to Qala-e-Naw in 2021, was forced to sell her 12-year-old daughter Aisha to a 20-year-old man to settle debts. The proceeds have done little to alleviate their poverty, with the family facing eviction due to unpaid rent. Sara recounted having to walk to the hospital to give birth due to lack of funds for transport, and she tries to avoid contacting Aisha's in-laws for the remainder of the bride price to delay her daughter's departure.

Afghanistan lacks specific laws dictating the legal age for a girl to leave home for marriage. Khomakha, 30, revealed her husband arranged the marriage of their two-year-old daughter Fatemah just three months after her birth. The urgency stemmed from their inability to afford transport for their eight-year-old son, who has blood cancer, to receive weekly hospital transfusions. Khomakha fears she may never see her daughter again, as Fatemah's new home is a 15-hour drive away and visiting would be financially prohibitive.