Increase in child marriage and child motherhood in Afghanistan; a generation that becomes a silent victim of the Taliban regime before reaching adulthood.
In a new statement, the “Purple Saturdays” movement reported a worrying increase in the phenomena of child marriage and child motherhood in Afghanistan under Taliban control, calling it a humanitarian crisis whose consequences threaten future generations.
The movement issued a statement on Wednesday stating that underage girls are being forced into forced marriages with adult men under the shadow of the Taliban government;
A situation that, according to the organization, is the result of the rule of “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan.
The statement states that many of these girls enter the stage of motherhood without physical and psychological preparation and are deprived of the right to education, personal development, and even childhood experience.
The Purple Saturdays Movement has warned that this phenomenon, in addition to serious psychological and physical harm to young mothers, is accompanied by consequences such as premature birth, extreme poverty, domestic violence and social isolation.
According to the movement, the lack of effective support institutions, collapsed structures and project-based policies have exacerbated this crisis.
The organization has also accused the international community of indifference and inaction in the face of the worsening situation.
Part of the statement reads: “Despite the increasing number of victims, no coordinated, decisive and comprehensive action has yet been taken by international human rights institutions to stop this tragedy.”
The Purple Saturdays Movement has concluded by emphasizing that Afghan women, especially girls at risk of forced marriage and motherhood, urgently need global solidarity and has called on the international community not to recognize or support the Taliban.
