At 13, Zainab had to buy a new uniform to go to school. However, after the Taliban came to power, there was no hope of opening girls’ schools, so the young woman had to choose a wedding dress.

Since the Taliban came back to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and banned girls from attending high school, many teenagers were forced to marry much older men, often chosen by their parents.

“I cried a lot and said that the Taliban will reopen schools for girls,” said Zainab, from Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan.

However, he objected and said that it would not happen and that it was better for me to get married than to stay at home and do nothing.”

Her marriage ended hours after her husband-to-be arrived with sheep, goats and four sacks of rice as a dowry.

And so, Zeynep began to live with her husband’s family, who is 17 years older than her. “No one asked my opinion,” he said.

With the return of the Taliban and the strict interpretation of Islam, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where secondary education for women is prohibited.

In a patriarchal society and in the midst of a serious economic crisis, many parents decide to marry their daughters.

“I used to get up late at my father’s house (…) Everyone here scolds me,” Zainab told AFP. They say to me: ‘We spend a lot of money on you and you don’t know how to do anything right’.

Mohamad Mashal, head of the teachers’ association in Herat, explains that many parents think there is no future for their daughters in Afghanistan. “So they believe the best thing for them is to get married,” she says.

In March, authorities suspended the reopening of girls’ high schools, saying the ban would be temporary. After a series of excuses to justify the closure, it was too late for many young people.

– “I’m doing the dishes now” –

“I never thought I would drop out of school to be a housewife,” says Mariam, whose name was changed for security reasons, as well as the names of the other girls interviewed.

“My parents always encouraged me, but in this case, even my mother didn’t object,” she says.

The girl’s family even moved to Charikar, the capital of Parvan province, so that their children could go to university. “Now I do the dishes instead of studying,” she says.

His 45-year-old father, Abdul Kadir, had his salary cut in half during the Taliban era and had to sell property to feed his family, who now live in a rented flat.

“Girls don’t stand a chance in Afghanistan, and marriage proposals end after a year,” she explains.

Early marriages are common in rural areas of Afghanistan, where the bride’s family’s dowry is an important source of income. However, this practice has consequences and often leads to increased maternal and infant mortality rates.

The 20-year-old Sara and 19-year-old Fátima sisters were only months away from taking the university entrance exams when their school closed. After their father died of Covid-19, they had no choice but to seek a husband.

“My conscience told me it was better to get married than to be a burden to my family,” Fatma complains.

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© Agence France-Press