What It’s Like to Be Married at 7 Years Old
Despite high maternal and child mortality rates, Afghanistan maintains its custom of child marriage, subjecting victims to lives of poverty and misery.
Zarmina, 2, and Baghzamina, 10. Their mother, at age 7, was married off to a man more than three times her age and survived childbirth at 13. (Courtesy of Shougofa Alikozay)
By Shougofa Alikozay / Sahar Speaks
Rooted in Truth.Independent by Design.
Your support helps ensure that rigorous reporting, thoughtful analysis, and investigative journalism remain accessible to everyone.
Support independent journalism.
Related Stories
The phony concern for their rights in the wake of a potential U.S. military withdrawal is a canard.
A female photojournalist whose photo of a farmer became famous in 2004 provides workshops for teenage girls in the hopes that they, too, will find success.
Although officially banned, this Islamic practice has gained popularity as the environment worsens for Afghan women.
Afghan civil law does not give women the right to divorce. "Here, a woman's voice is not heard," says a law student who spent four years in court ending her abusive marriage.
"Music is for boys and not girls," 22-year-old Fazila Zamir was told. Now she is proving her instructors wrong by performing on television and leading an all-male band.
The stigmatization of female sexuality in Afghan culture has lifelong consequences for girls and women who lack understanding of menstrual health hygiene.
The phony concern for their rights in the wake of a potential U.S. military withdrawal is a canard.
A female photojournalist whose photo of a farmer became famous in 2004 provides workshops for teenage girls in the hopes that they, too, will find success.
Although officially banned, this Islamic practice has gained popularity as the environment worsens for Afghan women.
Afghan civil law does not give women the right to divorce. "Here, a woman's voice is not heard," says a law student who spent four years in court ending her abusive marriage.
"Music is for boys and not girls," 22-year-old Fazila Zamir was told. Now she is proving her instructors wrong by performing on television and leading an all-male band.
The stigmatization of female sexuality in Afghan culture has lifelong consequences for girls and women who lack understanding of menstrual health hygiene.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.