Afghanistan: Child brides - their religion has nothing to do with it...

Gee, Officer Krupke. They're depraved on account of being deprived. I agree this is part of the equation - however the Beeb completely ignores the role of the Moslem religion and Afghan government in sanctioning these marriages.

A midwife in the village of Khordakhan, Hanufa Mah, agrees that alleviating poverty is key. She says she tries to teach parents not to marry their girls too young but some feel they have no choice. One girl she helped through labour was only 10 years old.

"The girl was so small. I held her in my lap until the child was born," she says.

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