Afghanistan: Economic crisis forces family in Balkh province to sell child

The two-year-old child was saved from getting sold after some locals in the province assisted the family with food and other aid to better their economic situation.

A family in the Balkh province of Afghanistan attempted to sell their child due to extreme poverty, Tolo news reported on Saturday.

An Afghan woman and a girl walk in a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Representational image) (REUTERS)

The two-year-old child was saved from getting sold after some locals in the province assisted the family with food and other aid to better their economic situation.

"We held a meeting with the Red Cross for a few days; we will make members of these institutions aware of how to assist us," said Noorul Hadi Abu Idris, the deputy governor of Balkh.

According to TOLO news, the child's mother said that she was forced to try and sell her child because of extreme poverty.

"I'm in a really difficult situation; I have nothing to eat or use for fuel; I haven't made any preparations for the winter. I have to sell my daughter and get some items for the winter," said Nasrin, the mother of the child as she lamented to officials regarding the situation of province and residents living there under severely poor conditions.

Nasrin said that neither the local government nor humanitarian agencies had offered her any assistance in more than a year's time.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the people in the country have been living miserable life with no basic amenities and severe humanitarian crises.

The World Food Programme has also raised concerns about the economic crisis in Afghanistan and also the rising unemployment.

In the wake of an excessive surge in food insecurity in Afghanistan, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has provided aid to 38 per cent of Afghans to help them avoid the impact of the ongoing crisis.