The case of the newborn, only 20 days old, has been documented by Unicef, which denounces that the serious crisis in the country has triggered this practice
Forced child marriage is a centuries-old practice in Afghanistan, which multiplies in situations of economic crisis or severe drought, as in this 2021. The more desperate the situation of the families, the cases increase and these are increasingly extreme as complaints Unicef, which has come to document the recent delivery in marriage of a baby of only 20 days.
“Even before the recent political instability, Unicef partners had registered 183 child marriages and 10 cases of sale of children during 2018 and 2019, in Herat and Baghdis provinces alone. The minors were between six months and 17 years old ”, revealed the executive director of this organization, Henrietta Fore. According to data from the UN agency, a quarter of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have been married before the age of 18.
According to the Constitution of the country, approved by the previous regime, the legal age to marry is 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys, but the weight of the tradition of child marriages, especially in rural areas, can with the law. Fore called on the Taliban for “concrete measures to support and safeguard the most vulnerable families and girls” and from Unicef they showed their willingness to work with local religious leaders to ensure that they are not involved in the Nekah (the marriage contract) for women. girls
The World Food Program warned this week that half of the country’s population will suffer acute food insecurity starting this month. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have decided to freeze aid and not allow access to foreign reserves to the new authorities and this has brought the economy of a country dependent on foreign aid to a critical situation .
«Price for the bride»
In the case of marriages, in Afghanistan there is an ingrained tradition, which has no basis in Islam, which consists of asking for the so-called “bride price,” according to Faizal Muzhary, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, cited by the British channel BBC. The traditional dowry (or mehr) is for the bride, but that “price” that is awarded for her is actually for the family of the contracting party.
From Unicef they also took the opportunity to ask the Islamist officials “to give priority to the reopening of schools for all secondary school girls and allow all the teachers to resume their work without further delay.” Three months after the arrival of the Taliban to power, the educational centers of this level of education are still closed for minors and this has become one of the great red lines for countries, especially those in the West, at the time to recognize the new government.
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