The Hasht-e Subh Daily’s findings in Jawzjan, Faryab, and Samangan provinces over the past year show that families are increasingly resorting to selling children as a means to afford food. According to the findings, 70 children under the age of five have been sold within a year. The majority of families attribute this action to rising poverty and unemployment.
Credible sources within aid organizations working closely with residents of Jawzjan, Faryab, and Samangan provinces report that during this period, 68 infants and children under the age of five, approximately 70% of whom are girls, have been sold by families due to poverty, unemployment, and domestic violence, each fetching between 50,000 to 70,000 Afghanis.
Sources add that the lack of oversight, limited access by human rights organizations, and restrictions imposed by the Taliban have prevented accurate reporting of child sales by the media and child advocacy organizations.
Zarmina Hassani, an employee of World Vision International, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that during her work in remote zones of Afghanistan, they encountered families who, due to economic hardships, resorted to selling their children. According to her, most families in rural areas of Jawzjan province have engaged in selling their children.
Ms. Hassani states that she has encountered 15 families over six months in the districts of Khwaja Du Koh, Darzab, Faizabad, Qorqin, and Qush Tepa in Jawzjan province, who have sold their children, especially infant girls up to four years old, for money.
Sayed Yasinbek, the head of one of the district councils in Darzab, Jawzjan province, says that some employees of domestic organizations interview women in poor families, and these families are sharing their challenges with the employees of these organizations.
However, some employees of these domestic organizations confirm that poor families ask them to find “buyers” for their children.
Aqila (pseudonym), an employee of one of the organizations in Faryab province, says that child selling, especially for girls under the age of five, has increased several times compared to previous years in the districts of this province. She adds that during the investigation of the situation of poor families, she met women who expressed their heartbreaking stories of selling their children with sorrow and grief. According to her, “They have been forced to sell their daughters in exchange for a loaf of bread for their families.”
Ms. Aqila further adds that during five months, she has seen 21 cases of child selling in the villages of Shirin Tagab, Qarqan, Qaisar, Bilchiragh, Garziwan, Andkhoy, and Almar districts of Faryab province.
The findings continue in the four districts of Samangan province, indicating that during the past year, 31 children, 23 of whom were girls under the age of five, have been sold by their families.
Khalida Yaqoobi (pseudonym), a field employee in one of the domestic organizations, says she has spoken to poor families who have sold their children. According to her, most of these families have been compelled to sell their children due to poverty and domestic violence.
Ms. Yaqoobi claims that she has encountered 18 families over 10 months who have sold their children for 50,000 to 70,000 Afghanis. According to her information, among the 18 families, 12 of them had daughters. She alleges that some poor families have asked her to introduce families who can adopt children.
Shakiba Jusoor is another woman who, over six months, has encountered 13 families in the villages of Khoram, Saro Bagh, Upper Dara-I-Suf, Lower Dara-I-Suf, and Feroz Nakhchir districts who have sold their children.
Sources in Samangan claim that some couples who have no children have bought children from poor families and left the area. According to them, these families have left their region out of fear of losing their “purchased” child.
One of the residents of Samangan, who has been married for 10 years without having children, says that about six months ago, he learned that a family in Feroz Nakhchir district was selling their child.
Hamidullah Haidari, a teacher without children, shares, “About six months ago, a neighbor woman told my wife that a poor family in Feroz Nakhchir district of Samangan province was selling their newborn daughter for 60,000 Afghanis. After consulting with our relatives, my wife went with our neighbor woman to visit this family. Eventually, after several meetings, we managed to purchase the newborn daughter for 50,000 Afghanis in cash.”
Mr. Haidari adds, “Although my wife and I are pleased with our decision and have the capability to provide good care, we left Samangan province fearing that the original family might regret their decision in the future, and now we enjoy a happy life with our daughter in another province.”
However, some civil activists express concerns, stating, “Children are becoming a means to afford food, as otherwise, their families would suffer from hunger.”
Rasoul Sadat, a civil activist in Faryab, mentions that poverty, unemployment, and low levels of education have led some families to resort to selling children as they see no other practical solution for livelihood beyond this drastic measure.
This comes as The Washington Post previously shed light on the increase in child sell in Afghanistan in a report titled “In the new Afghanistan, it’s selling your daughter or starve .”
The Washington Post notes that child marriages of young girls have risen in Afghanistan, with parents forced to sell their daughters for $2,000 to $3,000 to provide food for the rest of their family members.
Meanwhile, recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in a report titled “Two Years in Review: Changes in Afghan Economy, Households and Cross-Cutting Sectors” stated that about 69% of Afghans do not have access to sufficient resources to meet their basic needs.
