War and hunger in Afghanistan

The children of Kharistan village have never had a true childhood. Their homes lie high in the mountains of western Afghanistan. It is a beautiful area, but one which – like the whole of this country – has been harmed by years of drought and war.

At first it's difficult to tell how bad the situation is. People keep themselves wrapped up against the cold so you can't see how thin they are. But you soon begin to notice how few animals there are, and how little food there is.

Many families end up selling everything they own in order to feed themselves. I met Gholshah. In desperation, her father has married her off to a man in the village so that he could afford to buy food to feed the rest of his family. She is only 12.

'My brother and sisters were hungry– we didn't have any choice, that's why they gave me away to be married,' Gholshah explains. 'At the time I didn't say anything to my dad because my sisters were hungry. We were desperate – my sister was fainting from hunger.'

A girl like Gholshah might normally expect to get married at 18. Her family would be given some kind of payment. But it has never happened at such a young age here before, and certainly not just to get food to survive. Gholshah was ten when her dad told her she was to be married. He was given £60. When she's 14 she will join her husband and her father will be given another £120.

No child in Afghanistan has known anything but war, and few can remember a time when they were not hungry. Afghanistan has been fought over for so long that it has no roads, little electricity and few schools or hospitals. Money has been promised from around the world, but it will be a long time before children are given a proper childhood.

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Newsround

'People get their daughters married because of the hunger. My friend was also married because of this,' says Gholshah


Where is Afghanistan?