Faced with starvation, Afghans sell kidneys: Report

Kabul, Jan 29 (IANS) Faced with starvation amid the prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the subsequent economic collapse, some people in Herat province are being forced to sell their kidneys in order to feed their families, a media report said.

According to the TOLO News report, these residents from Injil district have sold their kidneys in the black market for little money in order to survive amid the dire poverty.

"We sell our kidneys if someone buys in order to bring something for our children to eat," said one of the residents.

Among those who have been selling their kidneys are children and women.

According to the law of the country, selling organs or parts are the body is illegal, but these families say that they have no other options to survive.

"We are happy, the security situation is good, but prices are a bit high in the country," another resident told TOLO News.

The sale of kidneys due to poverty in some parts of Herat made headlines last year also.

But now as a catastrophic humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan, world leaders and officials are taking the warning seriously.

The UK's foreign secretary Liz Truss said: "We are working very hard first of all to bring people out of Afghanistan, and we are using various routes to do that, we are also putting in additional humanitarian aid into Afghanistan." When asked, she said reports of selling kidneys "are very concerning."

Economic analysts say the lifting of sanctions and the release of billions of frozen dollars of the country's assets from world banks would be effective ways to improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan.

"The price of goods rose sharply and caused the most vulnerable sections of society to suffer more," said Abdul Nasir Reshtial, economist.

Following the takeover of the country by the Taliban last August, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and US Federal Reserve cut off Afghanistan's access to international funds.

Unemployment, poverty and hunger have reached alarming levels in Afghanistan.