A man, aged 40 has been arrested on charges of forced marriage to an 8-year-old girl by the Baghlan Police.

Khadija Yaqeen, Chief of Baghlan Women Affairs, underlined that the girl was married to a 40-year-old man for two months by force and torment. The Central Baghlan Police has taken the victim to a Safe House once they were informed of the case, while the 8-year-old girl’s father, who is the main accused in the case, has not been arrested yet.

The victim comes from Laqayeha village of Central Baghlan District. She became the victim of “forced intermarriage” by the family of Fazluddin, the 40-year-old accused, for two months. The child had been physically and mentally tortured by the family of Fazluddin.

Yaqeen expressed her concerns about the continuity of abominable and hideous cultures in the remote villages of Baghlan. She added that based on some reports, another girl, aged 12, is also a victim of “honor force marriage” in Deh Salah district of Baghlan. Efforts are underway to rescue the 12-year-old girl.

The Baghlan Safe House officials say that what has happened in the past two months to the 8-year-old victim, has hurt her mental stability, adding that they are providing better aid and effective advice for her to recover.