ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Afghanistan turmoil

Poverty drives Afghan women to sell their babies, bodies

Collapse under Taliban leaves people with few economic options

Afghan women wait to receive sacks of rice at a distribution centre in Kabul on April 7.   © Reuters

KABUL -- With international organizations warning that more than half Afghanistan's population is in urgent need of economic assistance, poverty-stricken Afghans, especially women, are being forced into extreme choices as the nation grapples with destitution and economic crisis.

Hawa, a 30-year-old, widowed mother of four from Kabul's from Dasht-e-Barchi district, is desperate to save her family and put food on table. She made the wrenching decision to offer her youngest daughter for sale on Facebook for 100,000 afghani ($1,100).

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more