Three-year-old girl sold into marriage for $9000 under 'walwar' custom sparks international outrage
Police arrested the girl’s father and are searching for the 60-year-old man identified as her alleged husband as investigators examine links to the killing of her older sister.
In Pakistan’s Balochistan province, a three-year-old girl named Babbo was allegedly sold into marriage to a 60-year-old man for $9,000 in a controversial practice known as walwar. The case has sparked international outrage and drawn attention to the widespread issue of child marriage in the region. Police in the city of Chaman arrested Babbo's father, Abdul Baqi, after the story went viral on social media.
The 60-year-old man, Salah Uddin, is still at large. According to authorities, once the agreed walwar payment was made, the marriage would have been considered valid, though Babbo would not have immediately moved in with Uddin. If her family attempted to arrange another marriage later in life, the unresolved agreement could potentially lead to disputes and even violence between families.
The incident is also connected to the killing of Babbo's older sister, Shukria Bibi, who was married off when she was 13 and is believed to have been killed by Salah Uddin. Police allege that Baqi had arranged Shukria's marriage in exchange for a walwar payment, and that Uddin pressured him to marry his younger daughter as well.
Balochistan law prohibits child marriage, with the minimum age set at 18. Violators face up to three years in prison and fines. Despite the existence of laws, the practice of walwar persists, particularly in remote, tribal communities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Enforcement can be challenging due to social norms and customs that favor tribal authority.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
