Rising Forced Marriages Among Afghan Girls Amid Ongoing Educational Restrictions
Some girls in Afghanistan say that continued educational deprivation and lack of job opportunities have exposed them to forced marriages, a situation they say clouds their future with serious uncertainty and concern.
On Thursday, March 23, as school bells rang, these girls expressed their worries about their fate, stating that the closure of schools and educational restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration have led many families to conclude that marriage is the only option for their daughters.
According to them, the hopelessness and uncertainty caused by educational deprivation have led some families to force their daughters into marriages without full consent. They emphasize that the continuation of this situation increases psychological and social pressures on the girls.
A Kabul resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said that in the past few days, they have witnessed at least two cases of forced marriages involving girls deprived of education. According to this person, in some instances, girls unwillingly accept marriages they never imagined before, due to lack of alternatives and their families’ economic pressures.
The closure of girls’ secondary and high schools, enforced after the Taliban returned to power, has drawn widespread domestic and international criticism. Nevertheless, these educational restrictions remain in place, and their social consequences—including the heightened risk of forced marriages—have become a serious concern for families and women’s rights activists in the country.
