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Afghan parents sell daughters aged two and five into child marriage because drought has left them with 'no choice'

A child facing acute malnutrition in Afghanistan, where repeated droughts since 2018 have wiped out crops in Badghis province, forcing families to sell daughters as young as two into marriage to survive.
A child facing acute malnutrition in Afghanistan, where repeated droughts since 2018 have wiped out crops in Badghis province, forcing families to sell daughters as young as two into marriage to survive.

Families in Badghis province, north-west Afghanistan, are selling daughters as young as two into marriage to survive after catastrophic droughts destroyed livelihoods. Gul Bobo, whose daughters aged two and five are both engaged, admitted she expects them to be beaten and pregnant by 14. Photographer Elise Blanchard documented girls as young as eight sold off to repay debts, as foreign aid funding collapses and clinics close.

Khatira, 11, was sold to repay family debts; she cries constantly and flees when her 20-year-old husband-to-be visits.

In Badghis, 95% of the population depends on rain-fed farming — repeated droughts since 2018 have wiped out crops and livestock.

Mark Calder of World Vision International warns early marriage poses deadly health risks to girls, but aid-funded clinics treating them are shutting down.

MoreDaily MailAfghan parents claim 'no choice' but to sell off children for marriageThe Guardian‘I am still a child, it cannot be good to be married’: how drought forces Afghan families to sell girls as bridesNacionaleDrought in Afghanistan Forces Families to Sell Their Daughters as Brides - Nacionale
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