Desperate Afghan woman sells newborn baby to feed family

A desperate mother from the northern Jawzjan province in Afghanistan has been forced to sell one of her new born twin sons to a childless couple for $104 (about N43,000) so she could feed her family.

The family’s plight was revealed by Save the Children Foundation on Friday, which continued to highlight the dire situation Afghan citizens had been facing since the Taliban took over the government.

In an interview with the Foundation, the 40-year-old mother said she was forced to sell her newborn twin sons to get enough food to feed her other children due to poverty.

The woman said the drought currently being experienced in the country had driven her family out of a farm in Afghanistan’s Jaudian state earlier this year, and the economic collapse made it impossible for her to get a job.

Speaking to the charity workers, the Afghan mother explained that she had given birth to the twins – a boy and a girl – around four or five months ago, shortly after leaving their farm due to drought.

She said she had initially planned to keep both children, but was barely able to get hold of enough food for even one of them, and the family decided to sell one of them to be able to feed the other children.

Her husband, who works as a labourer, said there are only enough jobs for one day of work in five, and the day’s wages, around $1, are enough for just two days of food.

Read also: Starving Afghan families sell young daughters to survive economic hardship

The couple’s second-eldest son also works in the nearby market, the mother said, pushing carts that stall owners use to carry their produce but because he is young, owners often prefer to use stronger children and he frequently goes without work as well.

With the new babies crying continually from hunger, the woman says a childless couple approached her and offered $104 to take her newborn son away.

Initially she refused, but after several days of seeing the boy cry with nothing to eat, she decided that giving him away was the best option to provide for him and for her remaining children.

“It was hard. Harder than you can imagine. I gave my child away because of destitution… I was unable to take care of him and I could not afford anything. I gave all of the money to my husband. He bought some rice, oil, and flour. We already finished them. We need help, we are hungry and poor,” the woman said.

Her 45-year-old husband added:

“There are no work opportunities in Afghanistan. We have children. We need flour and oil the most, which we don’t have. It’s also good to have firewood. I could not afford to buy meat in the last two or three months. We only have bread for the children which are not always available.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now