Teenage girls complain of forced marriage

SHIBERGHAN (PAJHWOK): Living in a shelter in northern Jawzjan province, teenage girls on Wednesday complained against growing domestic violence, torture and forced marriage.

Addressing a press conference arranged by human right groups and civil society organisations, the girls said their parents had forced them to marry aged men against their will.

Organisers of the news conferences hoped arranging such events would help create awareness among the masses about increasing injustices to women and violations of their rights. 

Khajista, 10, said she was forced by her father to marry a 50-year old man in return for a small debt. She told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Following my brother’s direction, I escaped and took shelter in a safe house. My old husband forced me into sex when he was drunk.”

Farkhanda, another teenage girl from Badakhshan province, was married off to a 35-year-old man to pay off her father’s 20,000 afghanis debt. Her in-laws used to taunt her daily, she complained. She eventually fled hope to get rid of persistent mental and physical torture.

Humaira Qazi Zada, in charge of safety homes, alleged the judiciary had failed to deliver speedy justice in cases of violence against women. “Our judges are more concerned about luxurious lifestyles than investigating cases of grievous nature,” she remarked.

Fauzia Nawabi, a women’s rights defender, said around 150 cases of violence against women were recorded in 2013 in Jawzjan. Collective efforts were needed to combat growing cases of violence against women, she added.

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