AFGHANISTAN: “I sold my daughter to feed the rest of my family”
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SHEBERGHAN (IRIN) - Sayed Ali (not his real name) said he sold his 11-year-old daughter, Rabia, for US$2,000 to a man in Sheberghan city, Jawzjan Province in northern Afghanistan to feed his wife and three younger children.
With food prices in Afghanistan having soared over the past few months and the 40-year-old father unable to find work, he said he had no other choice but to sell his daughter to save his family from starvation.
“Even animals don’t sell their children, because they love them and want to die for them, not to mention human beings. For too many days I stood next to roads and asked people for work, but always ended up disappointed. I couldn’t go home empty-handed and disappoint my starving children, so I used to scavenge in garbage and collect leftover food.
“I would lie to my family and say I bought them food from the market. But now it’s even hard to find anything edible in the garbage because of [increasing] food prices. People now eat all their food because it’s very expensive and also the numbers of those who scavenge in garbage has increased.
“Because I am illiterate, no one will give me a job. I am illiterate because of war and poverty. I didn’t go to school because my parents wanted me to work. My children also don’t go to school and they’ll also be brought up illiterate like me.
“How can someone sell his own child? It’s like selling your eyes or selling your heart!
“As no one would give me work I had no other option but to sell my lovely daughter. I sold her only to save the rest of my family. I sold her only to buy food for my younger children who otherwise would have died from hunger.
“I know people will say I am a cruel and merciless father who sold his own child, but those who say so don’t know my hardship and have never felt the hunger that my family suffers.
“I know other poor people who don’t have children and say, if necessary, they will blow themselves up [in a suicide attack] and kill other people in order to feed their families.
“I hope the government will hear my voice and help people like me to find jobs and feed our families.”
Forum posts
8 June 2008, 07:49, by Gharwal
Why we have such barbaric behavior? Our nation is suffering, the killing of innocent people is happening every day, the whole families are dieing because of not having food, many parents have to sell their children, violations are increasing day by day, the criminality is increasing.
For all created causes are communists, Mujahiddin leaders (self titled leaders) and commanders, Taliban, exported corrupted criminals und the follower all of those criminals groups, those criminals and murderer united themselves in government and parliament. Their follower started with language intrigues. We so called educated betrayed the nation, we sold several times, all money in behave of nation for reconstruction gone onto dark channels. In parliament are sitting communist, Mujahiddin and Taliban criminals, only few are real representative of nation, but they are blocked and one honest woman announced loud with her risk the criminalities of those people, finally she has to leave the parliament. In government are sitting thieves and rubbers, all governors are mafias.
The nation see all those groups as their enemies and considering as user of foreigner.
We know all of them, that they are killer, criminals, robber and thieves, to say we appear their criminalties, it is not correct, all Afghan honest journalist should see all ethnic as one united nation, they have to appear the criminalities of language intrigues of the their follower, they have not to let those intrigues people to link important subjects as above mentioned into wrong way.
The nation of Afghanistan mistrusted completely so called sold political groups, those criminal groups damaged the hope of democracy base on Afghan traditions of next generation in additional. Afghanistan need a strong provisional government with qualified, honest patriot personalities, they will be able to establish peace and security in country and to secure their hope of their prosperity, the country will be cleaned of all types of criminals, this should be the task of honest journalists to work for it and bring out the nation from the existed and continue disaster.
So far we will not find us to united nation, it will becomes the situation more worst and at the end we will NOT HAVE AFGHANISTAN ANY MORE, THIS WANT OUR NEIGHBORS AND OTHER ENEMIES! IT IS STILL NOT TO LATE, THE MOVEMENT OF PATRIOT DOES EXIST AND IT IS VERY ACTIVE, THIS MOVEMENT CONDEMN ANY KIND OF INTRIGUE AND DIVIDING OF NATION AND FINALLY THE INTEND TO BRING ALL THOSE CRIMINALS IN COUNTRY AND ABROAD TO COURT. IT IS NEEDED THE SUPPORT OF ALL PATRIOTS, SPECIALLY OF HONEST JOURNALISTS!
13 July 2008, 18:09, by ali
this is the sad part of our lives and the down turn of current situation. the blame game has been there forever, however what is the solution?. purpose a way out and change that would impose its effects not only on social justice but also economic growth and better social security system. COMMON goals needs to be set and introduced in order to bring about the much needed change.