UNICEF Executive Secretary Henrietta Fore has expressed deep concern that Afghan girls are at an increased risk of getting married as a child.
Days OId Children Are Getting Married In Afghanistan
Fore said in a statement that they have received credible reports of a family who gave away their 20 days old daughter for married in exchange of dowry.
Even before the recent political unrest, UNICEF partners recorded 183 child marriages and 10 child sales between 2018 and 2019 in Herat and Badghis alone, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
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He said the children were between 6 months and 17 years old.
UN agencies estimate that 28 percent of Afghan women between the ages of 15 and 49 were married before the age of 18. The Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing food crisis, and the beginning of winter made the family’s situation worse, forcing boys to work and girls to get married at a young age.
UNICEF Sets Up Cash Assistance Programme
Most teenage girls have not yet been allowed to return to school, and the risk of a child’s marriage is now even greater, Fore said.
UNICEF works with partners to educate the community about the risks that girls take when they get married early. Marriage of a child can lead to a life of suffering. Girls who get married before the age of 18 are less likely to stay in school and are more likely to experience domestic violence, discrimination, abuse, and poor mental health. They are also more vulnerable to complications during pregnancy and childbirth, he said.
We have launched a cash support program to help offset the risks of hunger, child labor and child marriage among the most vulnerable families. The fund plans to expand these and other social services programs in the coming months.
UNICEF will also work with religious leaders to make sure they are not involved in the “Nikaa” (marriage contract) for girls, he said.
“But that’s not enough. We call on central, state and local governments to take concrete steps to support and protect the most vulnerable families and girls. We call on the de facto (Taliban) authorities to prioritize the reopening of all secondary school girls and ensure that all female teachers can resume work without further delay.
“The future of the entire generation is at stake,” the statement said.
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