The Role of Tribal councils in Reducing Bride Price

   Written by: Naqeeb Ahmad Azizi

Bride price (dowry) is one of the worst traditions in Afghan culture. The bride price is the money paid by the groom’s family to the bride family. Youths could not dare to propose a girl to marry because of the huge burden of bride price and this issue causes problems to the bride’s and groom’s families.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Muhammad Hasan, a resident of Paktia province says: “The boys in our area could not get married until the age of 35 years due to the big amount of the bride price. Each boy has to pay more than one million Afghanis dowry before his wedding. As they do not have this amount of money, they have to travel abroad and collect money for the bride price otherwise he could not arrange his wedding ceremony. One of our villagers was engaged for 6 years because he did not have enough money to pay the bride price.”

Muhammad Zekria, a resident of Herat province says: “they want 800 thousand Afghanis brideprice to marry a girl in our province and my monthly salary is 25000 Afghanis and I pay my family expenses and I could not pay this much bride price”

Noor Jahan, a resident of Helmand province says: “the bride price in our area is between1500000-3000000 Afghanis. One of our relatives is engaged to a boy and her father wants 1500000 Afghanis bride price and the boy could not pay it. It’s the 16th year of their engagement. Now the girl is faced with a psychological problem.”

How people could solve this issue?

Malik Sharif, a resident of Chaharasiab district, Kabul province says: “We have decided in an elders’ council that no one could take bride price because the bride price causes the youths to immigrate to foreign countries to find the expenses of his wedding and the girls might get older in their fathers’ houses. Now a boy could arrange his wedding with a total of 200 thousand Afghanis.”

Abdul Qadir says: “I got married about 6 years ago and I paid only 12000 Afghanis dowry. We have decided in a village council that no one could ask for bride price and all villagers have accepted this decision.”