HERAT -- Too Young To Wed (TYTW), a US-based non-profit, is working to help prevent the sale of young girls into marriage in Afghanistan's western region.
Afghanistan has been in an economic crisis since last year, with poverty and hunger reaching unprecedented levels.
Desperation has forced many families to consider selling their young daughters into marriage in order to feed other family members.
Since the start of TYTW's efforts nine months ago, the organisation has provided support to some 300 vulnerable and poor families who were on the verge of being forced to sell or arrange an early marriage for their underage girls.
![Women attend TYTW's sewing course in Firoz Koh, the provincial capital of Ghor, on August 3. [Courtesy of Marouf Sayeedi]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/08/29/36753-w_2-739_416.webp)
Women attend TYTW's sewing course in Firoz Koh, the provincial capital of Ghor, on August 3. [Courtesy of Marouf Sayeedi]
![Carts supplied by TYTW, seen August 3 in Firoz Koh, enable Afghan men to earn an income and support their families. [Courtesy of Marouf Sayeedi]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/08/29/36751-w_3-739_416.webp)
Carts supplied by TYTW, seen August 3 in Firoz Koh, enable Afghan men to earn an income and support their families. [Courtesy of Marouf Sayeedi]
The group is operating in Herat, Badghis and Ghor provinces.
TYTW has so far helped about 100 families from each province, according to Mohammad Wali Akhundzada, a TYTW official in Ghor province.
"Some 20 women have started attending sewing courses in the first phase of the project in Ghor province. Additionally, 30 women have enrolled to attend carpet weaving courses, and more than 50 other women are expected to benefit from the project in the second phase," he said.
"These women are expected to attend a six-month training course and after completion will receive all the required tools to establish their own businesses," he said. "Furthermore, we have donated carts and food items to the male members of these families to sell in the market as a substitute for employment."
The project seeks to help Afghan families become self-sufficient so that they do not have to sell or marry off their young daughters because of poverty, Akhundzada said.
TYTW also provides a monthly food allowance to the families to help them fight hunger and starvation.
Helping whole families
Gul Afroz Siddiqui, a 28-year-old mother of four, recently started attending TYTW's sewing course in Firoz Koh, the provincial capital of Ghor.
She is one of the 19 women attending the course, which is offered from 9am to 4pm.
TYTW has also donated a cart and food items to Siddiqui's husband, a labourer who has been unemployed for the past several months.
Two months ago, the couple decided to marry off their 11-year-old daughter, Zarmina, for 100,000 AFN ($1,100) because of extreme poverty and hunger. They changed their mind after receiving support from TYTW.
Now that her husband has a job and they receive a monthly food allowance, the family no longer faces dire economic challenges, said Siddiqui.
"I did not have a job and was at home all day. But now I go to the sewing course every day. I have learned how to sew clothes to some extent. Now I can make clothes for my children," she said.
"This is the first time I have ever worked with a sewing machine," she said. "With guidance from my instructor, I have learned how to cut and sew clothes."
Siddiqui said she was very happy that they no longer have to marry off their daughter.
Mohammad Arif, 65, said he took back his decision to sell off his daughter after receiving the food and cart aid package from TYTW, which enabled him to earn an income.
"Working with the cart, scales and food items keeps me busy," he said. "Hopefully, this will help me find and put halal food on the table for my family. I have been jobless for several months, and we did not even have a piece of bread to eat."
"There are seven people in my family, and I am the only breadwinner. We own no land to cultivate, and I am a labourer," he said. "The entire labour market has come to a halt for the past year, and I was literally jobless all along."
"I am happy to be busy working again. I am sure I can earn enough to feed my family," he added.
Saving lives
The assistance provided by TYTW has played a key role in preventing the sale and early marriage of young girls.
Mohammad Israel, a 45-year-old resident of Firoz Koh and a beneficiary of the TYTW project, said the group's aid package saved him from having to sell his eight-year-old daughter.
"I have a family of eight to feed, and I did not have any income. I [almost] had to sell my young daughter to save other family members from starvation and death," he said. "We were just helpless, and nobody was out there to extend us support."
"My wife is now busy sewing clothes. I have food items and a cart to work on every day. I can now earn 200 to 300 AFN ($2.20 to $3.30) per day," Israel said.
If not for the assistance, "I would have had to sell my young daughter, and this would have been the hardest decision for me as a father," he said.
The relief provided by the international community and international organisations has saved thousands of Afghan lives over the past year, said Mohammad Salim Qazizada, a civil society activist in Firoz Koh.
"Poverty and destitution have reached the point where some parents are forced to sell their young children. Helping these vulnerable families is very important and valuable," he added.
"Preventing the sale of young girls means saving their lives," he said.
Marrying off young girls and marrying young boys at a young age are unnecessary and untimely. This practice is mostly done in the western part of Afghanistan. I don't mean that it does not happen in other regions, but the areas where the level of knowledge is low are apparent.
Reply8 Comment
Underage marriages have been common in Afghanistan for centuries; the poverty provoked by the war and drought compels many families to give their daughters to husbands in exchange for money prematurely. In such cases, boys' parents can bargain on the amount of dowry and marry teenage girls for their sons by paying the dowries in advance.
Reply8 Comment
Women are always the victims of any tribulation that occurs in Afghanistan. Why should women always be victims of men's cravings and needs? Why should men put their daughters on sale to feed themselves? I am astonished at the conscience of these people. How they dare to sell their daughters, and with what conscience do they live with that money? Why do they give birth to so many children when they can't feed them? Why don’t they involve themselves in challenging work and professions? Women in Afghanistan have consistently been acknowledged as second-class and have always been the victims. May God rescue Afghan women from this patriarchal system.
Reply8 Comment
The works of this organization and other organizations are commendable. However, international organizations and donor countries should implement long-term projects in Afghanistan to create productive means of support for the people. Thank you
Reply8 Comment
Child marriage is not allowed in Islam. Islam has set boundaries for every part of life. In Islam, there is no aggression or oppression. Still, these issues mostly occur in areas where people are not aware of Islam's religious teachings, or they only make ablution and pray, carrying out rituals their ancestors left them. The rest don't know anything about it. Otherwise, Islam has given women the right to get an education, the right to choose their life partner, and the right to live according to Islamic principles. Also, it has explained every part of life for humans, but if we have little training or no access to education, that's a different matter.
Reply8 Comment
Amid the people's dire economic and social situation, Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of the illegitimate government of the Taliban, says that no one has left Afghanistan over disagreement with the Taliban. The Taliban have done nothing except killing people, imposing restrictions on women, destroying Afghanistan's infrastructure, and selling Afghanistan's mines to Pakistan during their one-year rule. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee the country because of the dire economic situation caused by the Taliban. According to the same report, people have been forced to sell their children. Almost each and every Afghan wants to leave Afghanistan in one way or another. The Taliban have occupied all government positions and functions, and illiterate Taliban from Pakistani madrassas have replaced the educated cadres. However, the Taliban shamelessly say that "people are satisfied with us and want us to stay in power." The Taliban think they can deceive the people, but this is not true. With the passage of each day, more people hate the Taliban, and this hatred one day will lead to the collapse of their illegitimate government.
Reply8 Comment
Marrying off minor girls (who have not reached adulthood) is not allowed in Islam, but when she becomes an adult, she can get married, but Islam still sets a condition for her, and it is that the girl should be asked whether she agrees or not. If she agrees, that is, if she likes the boy and his family, then her family can make her engaged, but if she would not agree and does not like them, then Islam does not allow it. Islam is a religion of ease, not of coercion. If the marriage is forced or forced by the family, it can have dire consequences; for example, often, the girl takes drugs and commits suicide, burns herself, or runs away with someone else. Then there is enmity between the families. So it is better not to marry off at a young age. Instead, it should be done at a certain age according to the wishes of the girl and the boy.
Reply8 Comment
This is disgraceful and irritating that Afghans have become so poor that they have to sell underage girls. These girls should have been studying, going to school, and playing with their peers at this age. Thanks to the Taliban regime, they are being wed to persons in the age of their fathers. The Islamic Emirate is responsible for all these tragedies because of the Taliban, fathers of these girls have lost their jobs and duties, and the doors of these girls' schools have also been closed by this barbaric and narrow-minded group. Afghans are compelled every day to do such things that are a source of embarrassment and sorrow. May God have his mercy on us.
Reply8 Comment