Afghan child bride, 9, saved after being sold to 55-year-old man for £1,600 by her desperate dad
An AFGHAN nine-year-old child bride has been saved after being sold to a 55-year-old man for £1,600.
The girl’s desperate dad Abdul Malik was forced to sell his young daughter Parwana last month so he could buy food for his family.
The devastated father was seen breaking down in tears as he begged Qorban, 55, not to hit his daughter.
The horrific ordeal sparked outrage across the globe with all 24 female US senators calling President Joe Biden to take action against child marriages in Afghanistan.
And now a US-based charity Too Young to Wed came to Parwana’s rescue, helping her get out of the arranged marriage and moving her family from the displacement camp they were living into a safe house in Herat, reports CNN.
“I am really happy,” Parwana said during the journey.”The (charity) rid me from my husband and my husband is old.”
The charity’s founder Stephanie Sinclair said: “This is a temporary solution.
“(But) really what we’re trying to do is prevent girls being sold into marriage.”
Parwana’s mum, Reza Gul said the girl’s father initiated the sale against her wishes.
“Of course, I was angry, I fought him, and I cried,” she said. “He said that he didn’t have any option.”
NO OPTION
Parwana’s family said they had no choice in selling their daughter in order to survive.
She was sold for 200,000 Afghanis (£1,600) in the form of money, sheep and land that was meant to last only a few months.
The Malik family have been living in an Afghan displacement camp in the north western Badghis province and have been surviving on humanitarian aid and earning a meagre living doing menial work.
The situation though deteriorated following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August and the virtual collapse of the country’s economy.
Abdul was forced to sell Parwana’s 12-year-old sister months ago in order to help his family survive.
Parwana had hoped she could change her parents’ minds as she didn’t want to leave her family or her education and said she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up.
She had previously told CNN: “My father has sold me because we don’t have bread, rice or flour. He has sold me to an old man.”
‘BROKEN WITH GUILT’
Abdul said he was “broken” with guilt over selling his daughter and was unable to sleep at night.
He said he had been trying to look for work but had been unsuccessful and had borrowed money from relatives.
He added that his wife had even been begging other camp residents for food.
He said: “We are eight family members. I have to sell to keep other family members alive.”
Qorban said he would look after Parwana as his child and claimed he had a wife already.
“[Parwana] was cheap, and her father was very poor and he needs money,” he told CNN. “She will be working in my home. I won’t beat her. I will treat her like a family member. I will be kind.”
However, Abdul said he will have no power over what happened to his daughter and said: “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’.”
He added: “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.”
Parwana’s mum said her daughter begged to return home and was allowed a few visits back in the camp, CNN reported.
“She said that they beat her, and she didn’t want to stay there.”
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