A July report shows that at least one was married before the age of 18 in 42% of households in Afghanistan, 55% in the province of Badghis; however, it is believed that child marriages occur much more frequently. Not counting five provinces in Afghanistan, there was about 70 noted cases of child marriage in the 18 months prior, only being the tip of the iceberg for this phenomenon. Due to poverty fueled by the ongoing drought, families are turning to selling their daughters in order to pay off debts. While the legal age to be able to marry is 16, parents can give consent for their 15 year olds to get married, though many kids, some even as young as 10, are being sold at the hands of their parents. This illegal sale sees many violent results as these kids don’t fully know how to cook or do laundry correctly for their husband and their new family, leading to the husband and family lashing out and punishing the much too young wife. Very few child brides come forward to seek government help against their husband and in-laws, and some who do end up withdrawing their complaints, leaving many child marriages to exist and continue. These children are experiencing all levels of abuse and isolation at much too young an age, it pushes the question of how this generation of child brides will develop into adulthood, and what the consequences will be.
