Kabul, Afghanistan: The Afghanistan hunger crisis is forcing some families to sell children as poverty, drought and aid cuts deepen across the country, according to reports from Ghor province.
Multiple media sources reported that about 22 million people need assistance this year. Nearly 4.7 million people sit one step away from famine.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a dangerous surge in hunger, leaving millions trapped between a deepening humanitarian crisis and fading hope. According to the agency, one-third of the country’s population, around 17.4 million people, is projected to experience acute food insecurity, including 4.7 million people facing emergency levels of hunger
Families in Ghor described selling young daughters for marriage, domestic work or urgent medical costs. One father reportedly sold his five-year-old daughter for 200,000 Afghanis, about $3,200, to fund surgery.
In Chaghcharan, the provincial capital, labourers gather daily for work but often return home unpaid. Some workers said they found only three paid days in six weeks.
The World Food Programme projects that 3.7 million children will face acute malnutrition in 2026. It also expects 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding people to face acute malnutrition.
The crisis follows major foreign aid cuts after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Reports also cite Taliban restrictions on women’s education and work as a factor that reduces family income.
Severe drought has damaged crops and livestock in rural areas. The reports say climate stress has made food shortages worse in provinces such as Ghor.
Humanitarian groups, including Save the Children, continue to operate in parts of Afghanistan. However, aid groups warn that current funding covers only a small share of the need.
Read: Afghanistan Female Workers Loss May Top 25,000 by 2030
The Afghanistan hunger crisis has also renewed concern over child marriage. The rising poverty to recent Taliban family-law rules that recognise some minor marriages.
Severe poverty, drought and aid cuts are forcing some Afghan families to sell children for food, medical care or survival, according to reports from Ghor province.
