KABUL (SW) – Salam Watandar’s extensive dialogue with 80 women reveals a troubling rise in forced marriages in Afghanistan over the past three years. The study compares experiences from women who married during the Republic era to those who married after recent political changes in the country.
Salam Watandar interviewed with 80 women, 40 who married in the last three years of the Republic and 40 others who married after the political changes in Afghanistan.
Among the 40 women who married after the political changes, 39 did so against their will and at the request of their families. In contrast, among the 40 women who married during the Republic, 8 were forced to marry at their families’ request.
The 40 women who married after the political upheavals in Afghanistan, reported that the prohibition of girls’ education and the spread of misinformation among the public led their families to decide to marry them off.
Banafsha (a pseudonym), a woman who married after the changes in recent years, said, “When the Islamic Emirate announced the closure of schools, I was in 12th grade and couldn’t continue my education. Then a suitor came, and I had to agree to my parents’ decision. Our economic situation also wasn’t the same as before.”
Likewise, Sayera, shared her experience: “The changes that came in recent years forced my parents to make me marry. I couldn’t continue my studies, and my family pressured me to get married.”
Findings of this report also indicate that the age of marriage among the 40 women who married after the political changes in recent years, was between 16 to 25 years. Among them, 10 married under the age of 18.
Among these women, 6 were students and 34 were university students. Mehriya, a school student who married at the age of 17, said, “When I got married, I was in 9th grade. I couldn’t go to school, and when a suitor came, my father, without my consent and with my mother’s advice, forced me to marry.”
Zakia, who two married at age of 16, said that if the educational opportunities had not been taken away, her family would not have made such decision. “I feel very tired and depressed because I missed out on education. Although I am very satisfied with my marriage, if the current conditions were like those three years ago, I would have never agreed to marry. These circumstances forced me into marriage, and I was not satisfied with it, it was with the agreement of my family,” she added.
Among the women participating in this report, 34 are university students who have been deprived of continuing their studies, leading them to agree to marriage.
Hamida, a university student, said: “I was a third-year economics student at Takhar University. Due to the conditions and the changes that occurred, I was unfortunately forced to marry. The marriage was arranged by my family, and I didn’t have anything to say. I am satisfied with my marriage but not that much, because I could not complete my studies and achieve my aspirations.”
Parwana, another university student, also said, “It has been two years since I got married, and I have a child. If the changes had not happened, I would not have married because I was in my third year at university. Before the changes, I had excuses and rejected suitors, but once I stopped studying, I had to marry by my family’s choice.”
Aside from the ban on girls’ education, misinformation has also victimized several girls. Five of the interviewees in this report are women who were forced to marry due to rumors.
Amina (a pseudonym), says that in recent years, misinformation regarding forced marriage of the Islamic Emirate forces with young girls concerned her and her family. “I got married at 20. I had hopes of studying, finishing my university, and getting a good job. I was afraid and my father wanted me to marry because they were also scared, and when they told me, I agreed.”
Masuma, also said: “I got married in the year the Islamic Emirate came to Afghanistan. I was 17 and a student in 11th grade when I married. When my parents said, I agreed.”
The report also examines marriages in the three years of the Republic. Among the 40 women who married during this period, 8 were married by their families’ decision, while 32 made active choices regarding their marriages.
Most of these women reported that they married after completing their education, reaching marriageable age, and gaining maturity, with their own will and family consultation. They expressed satisfaction with their marriages.
Based on the findings of this report, the age of marriage during the Republic ranged from 17 to 27 years, and underage marriages were less observed. Among these women, 4 married under the age of 18.
Sadaf and Banafsha are two women who successfully married after completing their studies, based on their own decisions and family consultations.
25-year-old and a graduate in social sciences from a university, Sadaf, said, “It has been 5 years since I got married. I decided to marry at 21 with my own choice and family consultation, and I am very satisfied with my marriage because my husband always supports me in all aspects of life.”
“It has been 4 years since my marriage, and I have a daughter. When I married, I had completed my studies, and I was 25 years old. Fortunately, my husband is a very kind person, and I am happy with my life and marriage,” said Banafsha.
Women’s rights activists say that girls in Afghanistan have always been subjected to “forced” and “underage” marriages by their families. Yalda Azimi, a women’s rights activist, says that in the past three years, such marriages have increased due to restrictions imposed on women.
“In Afghanistan, girls have always been married off at a young age. When a girl is underage, she doesn’t understand herself well enough to manage a shared life, let alone have children and raise them. Previously, girls studied to become self-sufficient, but in the past three years, all education has been banned, forcing girls to marry at either below or above the legal age, which has negatively impacted their mental health.”
A sociologist Shafiqullah Ansar also believes that if girls remain uneducated and are forced into marriage, it will affect the upbringing of future generations in the country.
“Education plays a crucial role in raising future children and the generations of society. If this trend continues, we will witness suffering and poor upbringing,” he said.
In light of this situation, the de-facto government’s authorities told Salam Watandar that they are always striving to ensure women’s rights. Hamdullah Fetrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate mentioned that the leader of the de-facto government has issued a six-point decree regarding this issue.
According to him, this decree clearly states that issues of forced marriage, rights to dowry, inheritance, and all Islamic rights must be addressed. “Those who have multiple wives are required to ensure justice among them, and it has been announced that this decree will be communicated to the people through mosques, and [the ministry and directorates] of culture and information,” Fetrat further highlighted.
This comes at a time when women in Afghanistan have faced various forms of deprivation for years. However, following recent political upheavals and the implementation of restrictive decrees against women in recent years, it has been observed that forced and underage marriages among girls are also on the rise.
