Afghanistan Crisis: “If I don’t sell one of my daughters, my other children will die of hunger. With the money I get from selling her, I will be able to feed my family for at least four years.”
These are the words of a helpless father from the Ghor province of Afghanistan. This is not just a statement, but a document of the terrible tragedy that the entire Afghanistan is facing right now.
Trapped in the swamp of poverty, starvation, and misery, Afghan families now have only one last way to stay alive, selling the daughters born from their own womb.
Constantly rising unemployment, economic sanctions, and the lack of international humanitarian aid have brought millions of families to a point where they have to pay the price for ‘life’ by giving up ‘innocence’.
Afghanistan in the Pages of History: ‘The Heart of Asia’ That Once Smiled
Afghanistan Crisis: The Afghanistan we see today under the shadow of starvation and extremism was not always like this in history. It was once called the ‘Heart of Asia’, which was a center of culture, trade, and modernity.
- The Golden Era of the 1960s and 70s
Modern Lifestyle: During the reign of King Zahir Shah, Afghanistan was a fast-growing, progressive country. Kabul was called the ‘Paris of Central Asia’.
Women’s Freedom: In that era, women had complete freedom to get an education, vote, and wear clothes of their choice (skirts and Western dresses). They were becoming doctors, lawyers, and politicians.
Center of Tourism: Hippies and tourists from all over the world used to come to see the markets of Kabul, the Buddha statues of Bamiyan, and the beautiful valleys.
- The Beginning of Destruction (After 1979)
Afghanistan Crisis: The Soviet Union (Russia) invasion in 1979 and the civil war that followed put Afghanistan on a pile of gunpowder. The Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union turned this smiling country into a stronghold of Mujahideen and terrorists.
The 2021 Coup and Today’s Terrifying Reality
As soon as the Taliban recaptured Kabul after the withdrawal of the US military in August 2021, the remaining structure of Afghanistan collapsed like a house of cards.
According to the United Nations (UN) report:
Currently, more than 90% of Afghanistan’s population is living below the poverty line. More than half of the country’s population (about 23 million people) is facing severe starvation.
Double Blow on Women and Children
The worst situation in today’s Afghanistan is that of women and young girls:
Lock on Education: There is a complete ban on girls above class six going to school and university.
Snatched Employment: Due to restrictions on women working, many households that were run by women have now become completely desperate for every single grain of food.
Child Marriage and Human Trafficking: To escape starvation, 7 to 10-year-old girls are being married off to middle-aged men, which is actually the trading of daughters in the name of ‘marriage’.
Why Did Afghanistan Reach the Brink of Ruin?
There is no single reason behind this humanitarian crisis; rather, several international and internal reasons are responsible:
Stop on Foreign Funds: Before the Taliban came, 75% of Afghanistan’s budget came from foreign aid, which has now almost completely stopped.
Freezing of Bank Accounts: The US has frozen billions of dollars of the Afghan Central Bank, causing a severe shortage of cash in the country.
The Blow of Weather: Severe droughts and natural disasters in recent years have destroyed the remaining agriculture as well.
A Silent World and Dying Humanity
This news from Afghanistan’s Ghor province is not just the story of one family, but it is the story of every Afghan parent who is forced to see their children sleep hungry at night. Whoever wins in this battle of global diplomacy and sanctions, the loss happens every day to that innocent girl who is handed over to a stranger for a few rupees and a handful of grains.
If the international community does not forget political differences soon and provide humanitarian aid at the ground level, the coming days will push Afghanistan into the darkest and most self-destructive humanitarian crisis in history.
Also Read : Iran-US Tension: Iran Accuses US of Ceasefire Violation, Crude Oil Prices Cross $100 After Hormuz Strikes