NSIA records a drop in underage marriages in Afghanistan

The National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA) on Tuesday announced the results of a survey, and said underage marriages have decreased in the country compared to previous years.

The survey shows that 9.6 percent of girls get married under the age of 15 and another 28.7 percent are married from the age of 18.

Based on the survey, 19 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 11 are engaged in hard labor.

“According to our statistics, child marriages have decreased in the country and 19 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 11 are engaged in hard labor,” said Esmatullah Hakimi, head of the Administrative Office of Statistics and Information.

“This survey was conducted for indicators of birth, death, child and mother health, maternal mortality and access to primary services throughout the country,” said Faqir Muhammad Ziyar, the head of NSIA.

The survey indicates that 54 percent of Afghan people are over the age of 17, of which 25.5 percent live in cities and the rest in rural areas.

Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, also said that in order to improve people’s lives, it is necessary for various government sectors to prepare appropriate plans and policies for the future, considering these statistics.

The NSIA officials also said that more than 23,000 families, 44,000 mothers, 32,000 children under the age of 5, and more than 20,000 teenagers were interviewed in this survey.