Six-year-old Afghan girl forced to marry 55-year-old in exchange for goat
Abdolkarim took the girl to his native place where a witness to the incident caught him undressing the girl at night.
Firozkoh, Ghor: A 55-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly marrying a six-year-old girl in Afghanistan, in the latest case highlighting the scourge of child marriages in the war-battered country. The incident took place near Firozkoh in Afghanistan's Ghor province.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the minor victim, identified as Gharibgol, was given to the older man, Seyed Abdolkarim, by her father in exchange for a goat, along with other food items including rice, tea, oil and sugar.
Soon after the wedding, the girl's father as well as her alleged husband were arrested by local police, following a complaint by a concerned relative who informed them about the crime.
In his statement to the police, the girl's father said that he sold his daughter only because he was incapable of feeding his family.
The victim's father also told police that his daughter's husband had promised that he would not have sex with the girl until she turns 18.
After the illegal marriage, Abdolkarim took the girl to his native place where a witness to the incident caught him undressing the girl at night.
The girl, who was taken into custody, is reportedly staying with her mother. Women's bureau in Afghanistan is seeking a divorce and have said that they will ensure that the girl's father is stripped off parental rights.
This incident comes in the wake of recent case where an elderly Afghan cleric was arrested for marrying a six-year-old girl, who later claimed that her parents gave him the girl as a ‘religious offering’.
