Sahar was only 10 years old when she was forced to marry an older man.

Her father agreed to “trade” her in what is known in Afghan culture as ” Badal ” so he could have a second wife.

Her husband stopped her from going to school, starved and beat her.

Lina has a similar story, but it stretches back much longer.

Her uncle forced her to marry her cousin when she was just ten years old. After 30 years of abuse, she managed to escape, but Afghanistan’s laws mean that she must now wait three more years to be able to divorce him.

Both Sahar, now 14, and Lina, now 43, managed to flee to the emergency women’s shelter my organisation runs in Kabul and are both recovering along with nearly 200 others.

Rape, Underage Sex, Forced Marriage, Abuse. That’s the Plight of Too Many Afghan Girls – Newsweek