KANDAHAR CITY(SW):Local officials in southern Kandahar’s Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has said that under-age marriages are on the rise in this part of the country.
Shamsuddin Tanwir, IHRC official in Kandahar, told SalamWatandar that they have registered at least 12 cases of child marriage over the past 6 months. He added that there was a high possibility that child marriages ratio could be even higher since girls are likely to be forced into early marriage and their parents kept it a secret for the fear of social embarrassment.
He further said that a few number of families have spoken about it and acknowledged that such marriages have created numerous problems for their girls.
“Poverty, illiteracy, domestic violence and the current insecurity in the country are the major causes behind such marriages.” he said.
Ruqia Achakzai, Head of Women’s Affairs Department in Kandahar, told SalamWatandar that they have held short-term trainings on raising awareness about the negative impacts of child marriages. She said it was one of the government’s top priority.
Mawlawi Khodadad, one of the religious scholars in Kandahar, said that children are God’s gifts and their families should not snatch their childhood. He added that Islam has forbidden child marriages.
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