2 arrested over forced marriage of minor girl in Helmand

KABUL (Pajhwok): Two individuals have been arrested in southern Helmand province in connection with the forced marriage of a seven-year-old girl to a 45-year-old man in exchange for money, an official said on Saturday.

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, wrote on his X that the young girl had been married off by her father to a 45-year-old man for a sum of money.

He said: “Officials from the Department for the Promotion of Virtue in Helmand said they received a report about the incident. Following an investigation, both the man and the girl’s father were immediately arrested.”

According to Khyber, the girl had already been handed over to the man, but the act was halted after the department intervened.

Both detainees have been referred to the court for a Sharia-based ruling, he added.

kk/sa