"Monsters" - Martina Navratilova heartbroken over report of a 9-year-old girl being forced to marry a 55-year-old man in Afghanistan

Martina Navratilova has voiced her fury over a harrowing clip depicting the sale of a nine-year-old girl into a forced marriage with a 55-year-old man in Afghanistan. This distressing video, originally part of a CNN report from 2021, underscores the severe humanitarian crisis that has deepened under the Taliban's rule.

Afghanistan has seen a significant erosion of women's rights since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Their oppressive policies have included banning girls from higher education as of December 2022 and limiting school attendance to below the sixth grade.

Such measures have left many Afghan families in dire straits, forcing them into desperate actions. Navratilova shared this troubling clip on her X (formerly Twitter) account on December 7, 2024, spotlighting the devastating plight of Afghan women and girls.

The video tells the heart-wrenching story of Parwana, a young girl whose family has been living in a camp for four years after her father lost his job. Despite their efforts, relying on meager humanitarian aid and daily labor that earns them $3 a day, survival has been a constant struggle.

The Taliban's takeover only worsened their situation, cutting off crucial aid. With no other options left, Parwana's father sold her for 200,000 Afghanis (a little over 200,000 US Dollars) to a much older man. The video captures Parwana resisting as the man takes her away.

On December 7, 2024, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion shared this gut-wrenching clip on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it with a strong condemnation:

"Monsters, all of them who allow this."

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Martina Navratilova condemns Taliban’s decision to barAfghan women from medical studies

Martina Navratilova during the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards press conference (Image source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova condemned the Taliban's latest ban preventing Afghan women from studying medicine, calling their actions "evil" in a strong rebuke of their oppressive policies.

This restriction, announced earlier this week by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada through Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, prohibits female enrollment in medical schools.

On December 3, 2024, Martina Navratilova shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of female students being turned away from a medical school by Taliban officials, writing:

"The Taliban are evil. All men. All Evil."

Afghanistan's already high maternal mortality rate—620 women per 100,000 live births, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)—underscores the dire consequences of these regressive policies, compounded by the Taliban's restrictions on male doctors treating female patients without a male parent.