A father in Afghanistan has sold his nine-year-old daughter to a 55-year-old man so he can buy food for his family. The father has pled to the child’s new husband to never hit or abuse her.
Nine-year-old Parwana Malik is being sold by her parents to an unknown man. The child describes her 55-year-old buyer as an ‘old man‘ due to his white eyebrows and beard. Parwana’s father, Abdul Malik, was weeping and pleading with the man who bought his daughter not to hurt her daughter on the day Parwana was taken away by her buyer, Qorban.
“This is your bride. Please take care of her. You are responsible now, please don’t beat her,” breaking down in tears, Abdul told Qorban.
Parwana’s Family is one of the families who have had to give up their children in order to survive. Afghanistan has been hit hard by a humanitarian crisis, making it so people are selling off their young daughters at an alarming rate just so they can eat each day.
Parwana’s family has been in an Afghani displacement camp for four years, surviving on humanitarian aid and working to earn £2 a day. With the recent rise of Taliban rule, many families in Afghanistan have been struggling. Parwana’s story is no different: with international humanitarian aid put on hold and basic goods such as food becoming difficult or impossible to purchase because they can’t afford it anymore.
Months ago, Abdul was forced to sell Parwana’s 12-year-old sister to help his family survive. 9-Year-Old Parwana said, “My father has sold me because we don’t have bread, rice, or flour. He has sold me to an old man.””
The sale of his daughter has caused deep-seated guilt that is making it difficult for Abdul to sleep. He said that he had been searching for work and borrowing money from relatives without success. His wife even begged other camp residents to give her food. When asked why he had to sell his daughter, Abdul said: “We are eight family members. I have to sell to keep other family members alive.”
Despite the fact that Parwana is worth 200,000 Afghanis (£1 600) in cash and sheep and land, it is only enough to sustain his family for more than a few months before they must find another way to earn money. Parwana wanted to change the minds of her parents, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy. She didn’t want to leave her family or stop going to school because her dream is to become a teacher. But, her buyer Qorban arrived at the family’s home with his payment.
Abdul begged Qorban not to beat the little girl which Qorban agreed and led Parwana out of the house and towards their car, with her father watching on. Qorban promised to take care of Parwana as if she were his own child and said that he had a wife already. “She was cheap, and her father was very poor and he needs money. She will be working in my home. I won’t beat her. I will treat her like a family member. I will be kind,” Qorban said.
Abdul recalled, “The old man told me, ‘I’m paying for the girl. It’s none of your business what I’m doing with her, that’s my business. As I can see, we don’t have a future – our future is destroyed. I will have to sell another daughter if my financial situation doesn’t improve – probably the two-year-old.”