Severe drought across Afghanistan is forcing families into child marriage as a mechanism for survival. Photographer Elise Blanchard documented the practice while traveling through the country, interviewing girls as young as eight, ten, and fourteen who have been engaged or married to repay debts or secure food.
Eleven-year-old Khatira was sold into marriage to settle her family's debts in Qala-e-Naw, capital of Badghis province in northwest Afghanistan. Her mother, 40-year-old Noor Bibi, reports that Khatira was healthy before the engagement but now worries constantly and cries frequently. When her twenty-year-old husband-to-be visits, Khatira runs away. Since becoming engaged, she has stopped leaving her home due to shame about having a husband.
Climate breakdown has pushed Afghan families toward starvation, creating conditions where parents view child marriage as a sacrifice necessary to preserve their other children's survival. Girls are traded as brides both to repay accumulated debts and to generate income for food. Blanchard's reporting documents families making these decisions under extreme economic pressure linked directly to environmental degradation and drought conditions.
The practice reflects how climate-driven resource scarcity intersects with existing vulnerabilities in conflict-affected regions. Afghanistan's prolonged drought has eliminated traditional income sources and subsistence pathways, leaving families with limited options when facing destitution. Child marriage emerges as a desperate strategy in this context, with girls bearing the direct costs of environmental and economic collapse.