The situation in Afghanistan is precarious for many people. So precarious that fathers sell their children to ensure their survival and that of their families.
May 19, 2026, 1:54 p.mMay 19, 2026, 1:54 p.m
Loud U.N. Currently, three out of four people in Afghanistan cannot meet their basic needs. Widespread unemployment leads to hunger, the health system is severely weakened and international aid is hardly available. An estimated 4.7 million people – more than a tenth of Afghanistan’s population – are on the verge of famine. The situation is currently most precarious in Ghor province, the BBC reports in a statement Reportage.
The men in Ghor wait for days, sometimes weeks, to work so that they can provide for their families. Afghan Juma Khan tells the BBC that he has only found work for three days in the past six weeks. He lives in constant fear that his children will starve. Many men share his fate.
In some cases, desperation leads fathers to consider taking a drastic step. Abdul Rashid Azimi tells the BBC that he wants to sell his twins Roqia and Rohila. “I am ready to sell my daughters,” he says through tears. “I am poor, in debt and helpless.” Selling the 7-year-old twins is the only way to feed his other children.
Where are the UN and child protection organizations while Afghan young girls are being sold because of hunger and poverty? This father in Afghanistan was forced to sell his 7 year old daughter after his children went two days without food. This happened today #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/OARyJYvBc5
— Jahanzib Wesa (@jahanzibwesa) May 19, 2026
Another father, Saeed Ahmad, has already sold his 5-year-old daughter, BBC reports. He was forced to take this step after she developed appendicitis and a cyst in her liver. “I had no money to pay the medical costs. So I sold my daughter to a relative,” Saeed told the BBC.
His daughter’s operation was successful. “If I had taken the entire sum back then, he would have taken it with him. So I told him to just give me enough for her treatment now, and in the next five years he could give me the rest, after which he could take her with him,” Saeed explains to the BBC. In five years his daughter will have to move in with relatives. He accepted the evil for the health of his daughter.
The massive cuts in development aid have significantly worsened living conditions in Afghanistan in recent years. The USA, previously the largest donor to Afghanistan, almost completely stopped its aid last year. Other important donors have also significantly reduced their contributions. According to the BBC, current UN figures show that the aid received so far this year is 70 percent lower than in 2025. This means that a large part of the population no longer receives any support. The situation is aggravated by increasing drought.
The situation in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, Afghanistan has been mired in a severe humanitarian and economic crisis. The Taliban government is internationally isolated because of massive human rights violations, particularly against women and girls. Many donor countries have reduced or stopped their support. In addition, there are repeated armed conflicts with neighboring Pakistan along the border.
Image: iMAGO/Xinhua
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