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NILI (SW): Officials at the Independent Human Rights Commission in Daikundi have said that although eloping is not considered as a crime according to Afghanistan’s Civil Law but this issue has become very common here.
The officials added that the exact number of eloping cases is not available with the commission but more and more complaints are emerging lately. Jawad Dadgar, Head of the Human Rights Commission in Daikundi, said that eloping is a big social problem here. He told Salam Watandar that many girls who elope end up in a divorce.
The Women’s Affairs Department in the province has confirmed the increased number in eloping cases compared to last year.
Zakia Rezayee, Head of Women’s Affairs Department in Daikundi, told Salam Watandar that girls’ lack of awareness coupled with prevailing traditions also lead girls to elope. She agreed Daikundi is one of the provinces with high number of such cases.
The question is that what are the factors, which force girls in Daikundi to elope?
Zainab, one of the girls who recently eloped with a boy, told Salam Watandar that she eloped with her lover to Bamiyan and is married to him now.
She said that the reason why she eloped was that she was in love with the boy but the problem was that her parents didn’t like the boy. “They forced me to marry one of my relatives whom I didn’t like and that is why I decided to elope with my lover”, she said.
Gul Payesh, a resident in Shahristan district in Daikundi, said that girls should try at best to convince their parents and families with reasoning. Unemployment, lack of awareness and forced marriages are the main factors behind eloping cases.
ENDS
