Faith Leaders Forum support communities to end child marriage
Ghor province is located in western Afghanistan. It has a population of under 600,000 with agricultural and animal husbandry being the primary occupations practised. The province is rated high risk within an already fragile context, subject to ongoing-armed conflict and displacement. Traditional norms, limited access to education and child marriage are common child protection concerns for the girls of this province.
We went to the ground and met Roqia. She shared the story of her sister who was married at the age of 12.
Thanks to Jalaluddin, a member of the Faith Leaders Forum for preventing the child marriage case.
World Vision supported the Department of Religious Affairs and Hajj with forming of a Provincial Level Faith Leader Forum in three target provinces - Herat, Badghis and Ghor. The 23 members, 13 male, 10 female act as connectors, agent of change and mobilize other key community members to end violence against vulnerable Afghan children - boys and girls and promote child rights and protection in their respective communities.
It is estimated that child, early and forced marriage figures will further rise, as vulnerable families continue to experience the harsh socio-economic impact of COVID-19, natural hazards such as drought, plus as a result of the converging challenges of conflict, displacement and loss of livelihoods in Ghor.
World Vision Afghanistan focuses on supporting community-based structures that enhance the protective environment for children to prevent child, early and forced marriage. Through faith leaders and community change groups intervention, 32 child early and forced marriage cases were prevented in 2020.