Latest News
Girls increasingly at risk of child marriage in Afghanistan
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said this week she is “deeply concerned by reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise”.
In a statement issued Saturday, Fore said: “We have received credible reports of families offering daughters as young as 20 days old up for future marriage in return for a dowry.
“Even before the latest political instability, UNICEF’s partners registered 183 child marriages and 10 cases of selling of children over 2018 and 2019 in Herat and Baghdis provinces alone. The children were between 6 months and 17 years of age,” she said.
UNICEF estimates that 28 percent of Afghan women aged 15 to 49 years were married before the age of 18.
Fore attributed the rise in child marriages to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing food crisis. She said the onset of winter has also further exacerbated the situation for families.
In 2020, almost half of Afghanistan’s population was so poor that they lacked necessities such as basic nutrition or clean water.
“The extremely dire economic situation in Afghanistan is pushing more families deeper into poverty and forcing them to make desperate choices, such as putting children to work and marrying girls off at a young age.”
She said UNICEF is working with partners to raise awareness around the risks for girls if they are married early.
“We have started a cash assistance program to help offset the risk of hunger, child labour and child marriage among the most vulnerable families. We plan to scale up this and other social services programs in the months to come.
“UNICEF will also work with religious leaders to ensure that they are not involved in the “Nekah” (the marriage contract) for young girls,” she said.
In light of this, UNICEF called on all central, provincial and local authorities to take concrete measures to support and safeguard the most vulnerable families and girls. “We urge the de facto authorities to prioritize the reopening of schools for all secondary school girls and allow all-female teachers to resume their jobs without any further delays.
“The future of an entire generation is at stake,” Fore said.
Officials from the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment say that 294,000 tons of fresh and dried fruit have been exported from the province to foreign countries over the past year.
According to them, the total value of these exports amounts to $519 million.
Abdulbaqi Bina, Deputy Head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment, says the products were exported to India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Canada and several other countries.
Meanwhile, fresh and dried fruit traders are calling on the government to provide alternative transit routes, new markets, and greater facilitation for obtaining visas and transportation for the export of these products.
This comes as nearly 59,000 tons of fresh and dried fruit were exported from Kandahar to foreign countries
The case of 87 Afghan students seeking extensions of their study visas has reached the Islamabad High Court, with the students also asking for protection from arrest, detention and deportation, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.
According to Pakistani journalist Tahir Khan, the students have petitioned the court to order the government to extend their visas and prevent law-enforcement agencies from harassing, arresting, detaining or deporting them solely because their previous study visas have expired.
During Friday’s hearing, lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhel told the court that Pakistan’s Interior Ministry had issued study visas to the Afghan students about a year ago. However, the students say authorities have since stopped extending existing visas and issuing new ones.
The Afghan Students Union at the International Islamic University Islamabad has also said Pakistani authorities have suspended study visa extensions for Afghan students for an extended period. It added that several students have allegedly been arrested and deported in recent months.
The hearing was adjourned following an exchange between Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhel.
The case is expected to be heard again later this month.
Latest News
Wali Khan urges Pakistan to resolve tensions with Afghanistan through diplomacy
Wali Khan called on Islamabad to pursue a serious diplomatic approach to de-escalate tensions with Afghanistan and other neighboring countries.
Aimal Wali Khan, the President of Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has urged the Pakistani government to address tensions with neighboring countries, particularly Afghanistan, through serious diplomatic engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad on Thursday, Wali Khan said the ongoing tensions are causing the greatest harm to ordinary people, especially those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
“War is not a permanent solution to any problem,” he stressed.
Wali Khan called on Islamabad to pursue a serious diplomatic approach to de-escalate tensions with Afghanistan and other neighboring countries.
Tawsia: Afghanistan’s efforts to boost production and exports disucssed
Kandahar exports 294,000 tons of fruit over past year
Case of 87 Afghan students reaches Islamabad High Court over visa delays
TAPI pipeline nears first gas sales in Afghanistan
Wali Khan urges Pakistan to resolve tensions with Afghanistan through diplomacy
Pakistan’s governance system has ‘collapsed’: Mohsin Naqvi
AFC confirms clubs for 2026/27 competitions; draw set for August 18
Only two days to go before Afghanistan and Ireland begin ODI series
Four mediators struggle to secure lasting Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire
Afghanistan invites Iranian investors to expand economic cooperation
Tawsia: Afghanistan’s efforts to boost production and exports disucssed
Tahawol: Fifth anniversary of America’s defeat in Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Ongoing expulsion of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan discussed
Tahawol: Calls for US engagement with the Islamic Emirate discussed
Saar: Call for dialogue to resolve issues with Afghanistan discussed
-
Latest News5 days agoSCO summit to be held without confirmed Afghan invitation
-
Sport5 days agoAfghanistan squad announced for three-match T20I series against India
-
Latest News5 days agoFormer US ambassador says Washington could eventually reopen embassy in Kabul
-
Latest News5 days agoAfghanistan’s polio cases rise to 19 in 2026, WHO says
-
Latest News4 days agoFirst deportation flight to Haiti arrives as US ends temporary protected status
-
Latest News2 days agoPakistan open to state-to-state dialogue with Afghanistan on terrorism
-
International Sports4 days agoWatford face Peterborough in EFL Cup; ATN to bring live action to Afghan fans
-
Latest News4 days agoIEA announces new appointments in Badakhshan, Sar-e-Pul and Kandahar