The Ministry of Women’s Affairs have launched a campaign aimed at the elimination of violence against women in Afghanistan.

Presently, due to the high expenses of weddings, more than one million young people in Afghanistan are not married, said the Ministry officials.

The officials regarded Toyana obtained from the boy’s family as violence against women, as a result of which many girls and boys have not been married yet.

Toyana is the extra sum of money that some families demand from the groom. Traditionally, the groom’s family is responsible for covering the wedding cost.

Deputy Minister Muzghan Mustawafi said on Sunday that a campaign has been launched to put an end to this tradition in the country.

According to Mustafawi, demand of extra money from the boy’s family is unacceptable both religiously and socially; such tradition must be eradicated.

“You are all aware that big cities are witnessing an increase in the average age for marriage. Thousands of young people are yet single and unable to form their own families due to such traditions that have no place in Islam.”

The campaign delivers the message through round table, consultative meetings and publication of articles through Facebook.

 Mustafawi added that the constitution of Afghanistan has stated 10 year imprisonment for those who ask for high sums of money from the boy’s family in return for their daughter’s hand.

She further added that exchanging a girl or selling a girl for money or object is defiance of the law.

According to the Ministry’s officials, this tradition is a widespread dilemma in many of the provinces and the cost of wedding expenses has hit one million Afghanis.

Meanwhile, the officials said that a number of families marry off their daughters at a younger for the sake of obtaining Toyana from the boy’s family.

Shinkai Karokhail, one of the women activists and a member of the parliament, accused the government for its lack of attention in this regard.

“It is the selling of daughters for money that young age marriages take place in Afghanistan, that women are deprived of their Haq Mehr, that women fail to continue their education, that women become victims of domestic violence, and that economical, psychological and social issues emerge.”

Meanwhile, Pilgrimage Deputy Minister Kiramatullah Sidiq said that Islam only allows Haq Mehr. The extra money that the girl’s family demands from the boy’s family is Haram.

Haq Mehr is a promissory gift from the bride’s in-laws at the time of marriage. It is a kind of bridal wealth based on Islamic traditions stipulated in the marriage contract during the Nikkah ceremony, to be paid to the wife in the event of divorce or her husband’s early death.

Violence against women is a global issue. A global campaign for ending violence against women is expected to be launched in February.