6-year-old girl sold, married to 45-year-old man in Afghanistan, Taliban interject, say ‘wait until she’s nine’

A six-year-old girl was allegedly sold by her father in Afghanistan and then married to the 45-year-old man, who had paid money for her. The man already has two other wives. The incident took place in the Marjah district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, according to US-based Afghan outlet Amu.tv. The sale of a girl and her marriage, which falls in the category of child marriage, reportedly ‘woke up’ the Taliban, which intervened and prevented the man from taking the child to his home, but shockingly said that the girl should be sent to her husband’s household only when she turns nine.

Local Taliban authorities did not issue any statement but have blocked the girl from being taken to the man’s residence.

The girl’s father and the groom were arrested, though no formal charges have been pressed.

Marriage under the tradition of ‘walwar’

According to Hasht-e Subh Daily, the marriage involved the tradition of ‘walwar’ where the bride price is set based on the girl’s physical appearance, education, and perceived value.

The incident sparked outrage across social media, with users expressing shock, heartbreak, and condemnation of the situation. The ceremony photos showing the man alongside the child bride triggered a strong backlash online.

ICC issued arrest warrants for Taliban’s top leaders over persecution of women and girls

Ironically, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had on Tuesday announced that it has issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s chief judge, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on the charges of orchestrating persecution of women and girls since the Taliban seized back power nearly four years ago.

The Taliban rejected the move, saying it does not recognise the ICC. It called the warrants “a clear act of hostility” and “an insult to the beliefs of Muslims around the world.”

‘Families offering daughters as young as 20 days old for future marriage’

As per Unicef, marriage before the age of 18 is considered child marriage and a fundamental violation of human rights, but it is a travesty that a girl who is one-third of the approved age has been married and told by the country’s ruling authorities to cohabitate when she turns nine.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore had raised concerns about child marriage in Afghanistan and said in a statement in November 2021, “I am deeply concerned by reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise. We have received credible reports of families offering daughters as young as 20 days old up for future marriage in return for a dowry.”

As per Unicef estimates, 28 per cent of Afghan women aged 15-49 years were married before the age of 18, Fore added.

Child marriages on rise in Afghanistan under Taliban

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has witnessed a sharp rise in child and early marriages, primarily due to extreme poverty and stringent curbs on women, including the prohibition of female education.

Moreover, Afghanistan does not have a legal minimum age for marriage under Taliban though the previous civil code had set 16 as the minimum age for girls. The Taliban-led regime has not reinstated the previous civil code and hence marriage is determined by interpretations of Islamic law.