Now That The Taliban Is Back In Power What’s Happening To The Women Is Absolutely Horrific…
The Taliban pledged a new future for Afghan women. The reality, as this heart-breaking report lays bare, is famine and poverty so extreme parents are making unimaginable choice.
In war-torn Afghanistan, Qadir, a 35-year-old father of six, is facing a gut-wrenching dilemma. With the Taliban takeover in August, work has completely vanished, leaving his family on the brink of starvation. As the harsh winter sets in, he is forced to make an agonizing decision: sell his eldest daughter Zohra, a seven-year-old girl, to the Taliban for survival.
“I don’t have money for food. I am scared for my kids because, in winter, they will die due to cold,” Qadir says, voice choked with emotion.
The situation in Afghanistan is dire, with the country facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taliban's resurgence has only made things worse, with foreign aid drying up and the economy in tatters. The UN estimates that only 5 percent of families in the country have enough money for food, while the rest are facing starvation.
For Qadir, the decision to sell his daughter was not an easy one. Two years ago, he was forced to sell Zohra for 170,000 Afghanis (about $1,869) to a 52-year-old man he didn't know. At the time, Zohra was just five years old and had no idea what was happening to her.
Now, with the buyer yet to pick up his purchase, Qadir and his family live in constant fear. They have already spent most of the money they received from the sale, paying off debts and medical bills for one of their sons who fell sick.
Zohra, who is now more aware of her situation, is terrified of her buyer's arrival. Her eyes fill with tears as she speaks to a reporter from the Mail, saying simply, “I’m scared.”
Qadir is haunted by his decision to sell his daughter. He worries about her future and how she will fare in the hands of a stranger. “She cries all the time. She asks her mother why we sold her. Her future is ruined. I am unsure how the man will live with her, as she is so small. I can’t sleep,” he says.
The plight of Qadir and his family is emblematic of the suffering faced by countless families across Afghanistan. The UN warns of an impending catastrophe if aid does not reach those in need soon. The World Food Program's executive director, David Beasley, calls the situation in Afghanistan “among the world’s worst humanitarian crises, if not the worst.”
As the international community grapples with how to help Afghanistan, families like Qadir's continue to suffer. For now, all he can do is wait and hope that his daughter's buyer never shows up, while trying to keep his family alive in the face of unimaginable hardship.
WATCH the video below for more details:
Sources: AWM, Thesun, Dailymail