A harrowing case from Afghanistan’s Helmand province has sparked international condemnation after a six-year-old girl was forced into marriage with a 45-year-old man in exchange for money.The incident, first reported by US-based Afghan news outlet Amu.tv on June 28, took place in the Marjah district. According to Hasht-e Subh Daily, the groom was already married and had two wives. Local sources revealed that the girl’s father arranged the marriage under financial pressure.While the Taliban authorities did intervene in the ceremony, their response has raised fresh alarm. Rather than cancelling the marriage or arresting the parties involved, Taliban officials reportedly instructed them to “wait until the girl turns nine before bringing her home.”The statement, widely circulated on social media, has reignited criticism over the Taliban’s stance on women’s and children’s rights since their return to power in 2021. International bodies and human rights advocates have repeatedly condemned the regime’s rollbacks on education, employment, and basic freedoms for Afghan women and girls.Several nations have declared they will not officially recognise the Taliban government unless it guarantees and protects women’s rights under international law. This case, however, has only deepened fears that those protections remain out of reach for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable.
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