Opium Nation: Unveiling Afghanistan's Tragic Reality

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Life for Fariba Nawa after 18 years was an eye opener and a very tragic experience. Nawa coined a way to narrate a story of an Afghan society, she once knew. The multibillion drug trade now ruled her country. In 1999 they made between $25 million and $75 million just from taxing opium farmers and traffickers (106). It was surrounded with opium, crime, smugglers and opium brides. Opium brides were sold to traffickers to pay off a pervious opium debt. The opium have taken over and damaged the lives of many Afghanistan residents. Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman’s Journey Through Afghanistan by Fariba Nawa explain the “opium brides” situation in detail. The search and rescue of twelve year old Darya, who was sold to smugglers by her father to pay off a debt …show more content…

This trend was heartbreaking but it is also a reality. Marrying Darya was not new to her father but a secure way to pay off a debt. “I’m not going! I’m not going” (119). Forcing a child to marry is a human waste and cheap sorrow. Marrying girls at a young age is the way to settle debts and improve family’s finical situations. This business deal is unprecedented and unjust. Selling a daughter to pay off a debt is not acceptable or normal. Despite the terrifying story of the opium brides, the bigger issue is the reason behind the debt. Growing poppy is seen as a real opportunity for Afghan farmers and families. Many are persuaded by the income the poppy heads are bringing in and is convinced that this illicit crop is the only survival. Afghan families are weaken by the drug trade. They are developed inconsistent ways to accumulate wealth. They are becoming stuck in an ongoing cycle of opium and debt. The drug and crime connection varies and innocent families are caught in the crossfire. Nawa just provided with this text that crime does cause drug use. The stressful life on growing and selling opium leads to daughter being used to pay off a

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