New testimonies from Afghanistan paint a disturbing picture of girls being pushed into marriage long before adulthood, with some reportedly promised as brides from infancy. The accounts describe families using daughters to settle debts, exposing how poverty and coercion can trap children in arrangements they are too young to understand.
The reported cases include girls forced into marriage before adolescence and minors becoming mothers while still children themselves. The accounts suggest that child marriage is not limited to isolated incidents, but forms part of a wider pattern in which young girls face repeated pregnancies, lost education and severe physical and emotional harm.
At the center of these testimonies is the link between financial hardship and the treatment of girls as a means of repayment. Families struggling with debt are said to agree to marriages years in advance, effectively handing over a child’s future in exchange for survival or relief from what they owe.
The reports add to growing concern about the condition of women and children in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. They highlight how the combination of economic pressure, weak protections and entrenched social practices can leave girls especially vulnerable to exploitation through forced and early marriage.
