The BBC World News has reported on the situation of poverty and unemployment in Ghor province, stating that families in Afghanistan are resorting to difficult choices, such as selling their children, to meet their basic needs.
According to the report, Saeed Ahmad, a resident of Ghor, mentioned that after his five-year-old daughter, Shaika, suffered from appendicitis and a liver cyst and he was unable to afford her medical treatment, he had no choice but to sell her.
The report states: “Saeed Ahmad had no money to pay for her treatment, so he sold his daughter to one of his relatives, and Shaika’s surgery was successful. The cost was covered by the 200,000 Afghanis (approximately $3,200) he received for her.”
Shaika’s father said: “I agreed with my relatives that they would pay for her treatment now and the remaining amount over the next five years. If I had taken all the money at once, they would have taken her immediately.
Saeed expressed: “If I had money, I would never have made this decision. But I thought to myself, what if she dies without surgery? This way, at least she stays alive.”
The BBC report noted that men gather every dawn at a crossroads in Chahcharagh of Ghor, hoping to find work. They can only bring bread home to their families if someone comes looking for labor; however, many days they return home empty-handed.
Juma Khan, 45, stated that he has only found work three days in the past six weeks, earning between 150 to 200 Afghanis per day. He said: “Three nights in a row my children went to bed hungry. My wife was crying, and so were my children. I borrowed from a neighbor to buy flour. I live in fear that my children will die from hunger.”
The report also highlighted an increase in child deaths in Afghanistan due to poverty and starvation.
Mohammad Hashim, who lost his 14-month-old daughter a few weeks ago, told the BBC: “My child died from hunger and lack of medicine… When a child is sick and hungry, it is natural for them to die.”
A local elder mentioned that child mortality, primarily due to malnutrition, has “really increased” in the past two years.
The BBC wrote that because there are no official records of child deaths in Ghor, they visited a local cemetery as the only witness to these events.
The report stated: “We counted small and large graves separately. The number of small graves was nearly double that of large graves, indicating that twice as many children have died compared to adults.”
Previously, the United Nations reported on widespread shortages of water, food, healthcare services, shelter, heating, and clothing for millions of families, stating that over 80% of families are in debt.
Hamidullah Fetrat, deputy spokesman for the current government, responded to the findings of this report by telling the BBC: “During 20 years of occupation, an artificial economy was created due to the influx of American dollars. After the end of the occupation, we inherited poverty, hardship, unemployment, and other problems.”
