In the drought-stricken Badghis province of north-west Afghanistan, economic hardship and climate-related challenges have driven many families to marry off their young daughters as a means of survival. With agriculture and livestock accounting for 95% of local livelihoods, frequent and severe droughts have devastated crops and incomes, leaving families with few options to repay debts, afford medical care, or secure food.

Eleven-year-old Khatira, from the provincial capital Qala-e-Naw, is one such girl engaged to a 20-year-old man. Her mother, Noor Bibi, said Khatira has become withdrawn and ashamed since her engagement, no longer willing to go outside or accept visits from her fiancé. Other families in the region share similar stories of desperation. Gul Bobo, a mother from Tayz Nāwah village, spoke about her two young daughters, aged two and five, who are already engaged under the pressure of extreme poverty and food insecurity. “We had no choice,” she said, acknowledging that such arrangements would typically wait until girls reach adulthood.

Child brides in the region often face early pregnancies and domestic responsibilities well before they are physically or emotionally ready, exposing them to serious health risks in a country where maternal mortality rates are among the highest globally. Families report fears of domestic abuse from in-laws when girls struggle to fulfill household duties. Bana, another mother from the province, reluctantly accepted her 11-year-old daughter’s engagement to an older man in his 40s, a creditor to the family.

Displacement is another consequence of the ongoing hardship. Many families, such as Niaz Mohammad’s—also from Badghis—have been forced from their ancestral homes due to repeated crop failures. He described having to marry off four daughters as children to survive. Families flock to the city of Qala-e-Naw or larger urban centers like Herat, where aid camps such as Shahrak-e-Sabz provide temporary refuge, but humanitarian assistance has decreased sharply, intensifying reliance on child marriage as a coping mechanism.

Local men often supplement meager incomes by collecting and reselling recyclable materials. Mohammad Yawaz, who sells ice cream and collects cans with his young daughter, has already married off his eldest daughter at 15 and engaged another child. His neighbor, Surgul, made a similar decision after enduring days without food. Livestock markets in Badghis reflect the crisis, with many animals sold off as fodder becomes unaffordable.

In some communities, families maintain children at home until dowry payments are completed, after which girls are sent to live with their husbands. Abdul Aziz, from Khoshkian village, sold five daughters into marriage following multiple failed wheat harvests, with bride prices ranging from approximately $1,100 to $1,850. One of his daughters, now 16 or 17, lives with her husband, a man in his 40s, and their two young children. She described the early marriage as difficult but said her in-laws have treated her kindly.

Afghanistan currently has no legal minimum age for marriage enforcement, enabling the practice to persist unchecked. Experts warn that the health clinics addressing complications from early pregnancy and childbirth are dwindling as international aid wanes. Aid official Mark Calder of World Vision International highlighted the dual crisis of rising child marriage and shrinking healthcare resources.

Many families, like that of 12-year-old Aisha from a slum near Qala-e-Naw, continue to struggle with poverty even after accepting bride prices. Aisha’s mother, Sara, said the family has fallen behind on rent and cannot afford transport to medical facilities. Despite the hardship, Sara tries to shield her daughter from the reality of the pending marriage, hoping to preserve some normalcy for as long as possible.

As drought and displacement persist, child marriage remains a tragic survival strategy for many households in Badghis province, highlighting the intersection of climate, economic crisis, and human rights concerns in the region.