A child walks through Fort Bliss' Doņa Ana Village where Afghan refugees are being housed, in New Mexico, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. David Goldman/AP Photo
- Desperate Afghan parents are selling their kids in exchange for cash to feed the rest of their family or get out of debt.
- Benazir, for example, is an 8-year-old girl sold for $2,000, an amount that will go toward feeding a 10-person family.
Benazir and Saliha are just the latest examples of children given away by their families in Afghanistan in exchange for desperately needed cash.
Earlier this month, a report came out of an Afghan father saying he sold his 9-year-old daughter, Parwana Malik, to a man for $2,200 to be able to afford food for his wife and other kids. The family has lived in a northwest province of Afghanistan for years, struggling to pay for basic needs like food. Together, they earn just a few dollars a day.
Last month, a woman named Saleha said she sold her 3-year-old daughter for $550 because, like the Maliks, she didn't have enough money to sustain herself. When Insider readers heard of Saleha's story, dozens offered to pay off her debt.
Afghanistan is on the brink of economic collapse
Afghanistan is heading toward "universal poverty" following the Taliban's swift takeover of the country, according to a projection from a United Nations' development agency. Within a year, the poverty rate in Afghanistan will hover at a whopping 97% or 98%, said Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP's Asia-Pacific Director.
"Afghanistan pretty much faces universal poverty by the middle of next year," Wignaraja said. "That's where we're heading — it's 97-98% no matter how you work these projections."
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