KABUL (SW): Teenager Zeba was married-off by her parents at the very early age of eight to meet financial needs for another wedding of her uncle.
According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), early marriages are on the rise in the country. Zeba is one among thousands of girls that are married-off at the very early age. Talking to Salam Watandar, the young girl said that she was engaged to a ten-year old boy when she was only 40 days old.
AIHRC officials said on Sunday that as many as 235 cases of early marriages have been registered in the reported period of the year 2015. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Seema Samar, the head of AIHRC said that the exact number of early marriages is far higher than what has been registered at the AIHRC.
Recalling her troubled married life, Zeba said that her father came for her rescue a month after her marriage.
She added that her father took her with him from her in-laws’ home and handed her over to an orphanage/ shelter house in a bid to save her from the troubled married life. With a light smile, she recalled that her father introduced himself as her uncle to the orphanage.
The poor girl lamented that she has not seen her mother since. On repeated attempts, she declined to mention her native town owing to hatred towards that place. Zeba said that her parents are 'dead' for her. Despite all these troubles, Zeba has managed to study up till 12th grade and aims to pursue higher studies. She added that fears about future does haunt her but she is hopeful, and would never go to her parents’ home again.
ENDS
