Saving Girls From Child Marriage in Afghanistan
In year 2020, World Vision Afghanistan addressed 32 Child Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) cases through community interventions.
This is one of their stories:
My name is Freshta and I live in Boynan village in Herat. I have five children—three daughters and two sons. My children go to school except the smallest son and my daughter who has married. My husband is living with a disability, and he is always at home. He cannot work, thus I am responsible for earning income to support the whole family.
"I do laundry, I work in one of the clinics in our village and I go there two days a week. They pay me 200 AFs (US$3) per day. Before COVID-19, I went to people’s houses for laundry purposes, but now they do not allow me to their houses because of this virus. All our living expenses are supported through loans from neighbours and relatives.
"A couple of years ago I married off my elder daughter at the age of 14. She lost her first child due to her young age. The reason I did this was because of poverty, however she continues to struggle with poverty in her husband’s house. She always blames me about my decision against her and says that her life was ruined for the comfort of her family.
"I participated to the community dialogue about Child Early and Forced Marriages. I learned many things about drivers of early marriages and its harmful consequences. After I participated in the programme [Child Early and Forced Marriages community dialogue] and because of the hardship both myself and my oldest daughter have faced, I promised myself that until I am [finished] living, I would not marry my daughters at early ages. I will continue to seek financial support from other people when I can not earn enough income to survive and allow my children to continue their education. When I go to my clients’ houses, I share the story of my daughter and asked them not to marry off their children at early ages, explaining that is the wrong decision.
Freshta, 45, is among 500 (197 male, 303 female) community members who participated in a community dialogue about Child Early and Forced Marriages. The dialogues were organized for groups of 20 to 25 people including the head of family, community and religious leaders, Community Development Council (CDC) members, youths, people living with disabilities, and teachers at communities of Herat.
The participants learned about topics such as child rights, the principles of marriage and the appropriate age, drivers of and negative impacts of child marriage, methods of preventing Child Early and Forced Marriages, and child marriage in Islam and Afghan laws.
A recent consultation with community members showed that majority of families are unaware of the negative consequences of CEFM. Equipping individuals with this information, supports participants to become agents of change in their communities and make informed decisions that ultimately result in increased safety and wellbeing and continued access to education for young girls in Afghanistan.
Child marriage violates girls’ rights to health, education and opportunity. It exposes girls to violence throughout their lives, and traps them in a cycle of poverty. Ending child marriage requires work across all sectors and at all levels. It requires us to understand the complex drivers behind the practice in different contexts and adapt our interventions accordingly. World Vision Afghanistan strives to reduce the incident of child marriages in western Afghanistan through transformation of cultural norms, attitudes, and practices that contribute to empowering children, communities and the state to protect children. Thanks to Aktion Deutschland Hilft "German Relief Coalition" for their financial support and dedication to improving the lives and opportunities for Afghan girls.