Entire families in Afghanistan have been forced to sell their kidneys so they can buy food, as the country plunges deeper into a humanitarian crisis.
One family – including three brothers and two sisters – all underwent surgery and sold their organs for around £1,150 each in order to feed their relatives.
For those who have already sold their kidneys to feed their starving families, many are resorting to selling their own children to survive because they have ‘nothing left to sell’, as Afghanistan’s economy teeters on the brink of collapse.
One husband and wife, who have sold their kidneys to feed their eight children and wish to remain anonymous, are now considering selling one of the youngsters because they fear they will starve otherwise.
According to the reports, a 25-year-old mother, from a village outside the city of Herat, in the western part of the country, said: ‘About six months ago, my three-year-old son died of hunger.
‘I cannot see them all lose their lives… at least this way, someone else will feed them.’
Both she and her husband have already sold their kidneys and are now facing the unthinkable choice of which of their eight children to sell.
He said: ‘We have nothing left to sell. We have to sell our children now and I’m prepared to do this for even 20,000 Afghanis (about £150 or $200).
‘I can’t go to sleep every night with them crying that they are hungry.’
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year, the country has seen the value of its currency collapse even though hard notes are in short supply, while prices for basic goods have soared due to shortages, with the UN warning that food could run dangerously low soon.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year, the country has seen the value of its currency collapse even though hard notes are in short supply, while prices for basic goods have soared due to shortages, with the UN warning that food could run dangerously low soon.
The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted funding, unwilling to work with a Taliban government given its reputation for brutality during its previous rule 20 years ago.
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