Selling children to buy food
The film by RT Documentary Don't Sell Me Mama is about the grim Afghan practice of selling girls off to buy food and wood for the fire. The dire economic situation in Afghanistan has put 97% percent of the population below the poverty level. As a result, people have to do anything to keep themselves alive.
Selling little girls is one of the ways parents are hoping to mend their financial situation. Families hope to get from $1,500 to $2,000 for them. Boys are more valuable to the family because they can work when they grow up. That is why they are kept in the family. In their parents' opinion, the best way for a girl to survive is to be married off. In Afghanistan, girls are married as young as 11 years old. There are no official statistics, but according to various estimates, one in six girls are under 16 when they get married. The money parents are hoping to raise from this transaction will pay off their debts and buy food and wood for the stove.
The girls are devastated by their parent's decision, but they have no say in the matter. Watch our film to learn their heart-wrenching stories.
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