Draught in Afghanistan; Over 160 Child Sold in 2018
The UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) documented 161 child betrothals or marriages in Herat and Badghis between July and October. Of those, 155 were girls and six were boys.
The UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) documented 161 child betrothals or marriages in Herat and Badghis between July and October. Of those, 155 were girls and six were boys.
“The drought is the worst in decades,” UNICEF spokeswoman Alison Parker said.
Afghanistan’s worst drought in decades has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and is pushing families to marry off their children in exchange for dowries in order to survive, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
About 223,000 people have been uprooted from their homes in the drought-hit western provinces of Herat, Badghis and Ghor this year, according to UNICEF.
In addition to those forced by drought to leave their homes, conflict between the government and an array of armed groups, including the Taliban, has uprooted at least 282,000 people so far this year, according to the United Nations.
