Families in Afghanistan are being forced into debt, “making the difficult decision of using their children as collateral”, says the Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, Alison Parker.

In a recent interview with UN News, Ms Parker alerted to the fact that “some of these children are betrothed when they are only 1 or 3 months old”.

The spike on the child marriage rates in the country is a result of the unprecedent drought affecting the region, where nearly 20 million people rely on farming. In the most affected areas, such as the Western Afghanistan, it’s as high as 60% of unions.

Ms Parker starts by telling UN News’ Sarah Mbengue what are the main challenges faced by Afghan children.