High tawyana payments push Nimroz couples into debt, disputes — Pajhwok

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): While many families consider tawyana (a traditional marriage payment made by the groom’s family to the bride’s family) a part of marriage traditions, accounts from women and young people in southwestern Nimroz province show that this practice has, for some, turned into a cycle of debt, migration, domestic violence and family disputes — a situation experts have also warned about. In many parts of Afghanistan, including Nimroz province, the groom’s family is required to pay an amount known as tawyana or a “gift” to the bride’s family in addition to wedding expenses. Although some families consider this practice part of their traditions and a way to cover some costs of their daughters’ marriages, some young people and women say it sometimes leaves them struggling with years of debt, migration and family problems. In Nimroz, the amount of tawyana varies among families, but it usually ranges between 300,000 and 1.5 million afghanis. Stories of women affected by excessive tawyana payments Mahjabin, 23, a resident of Zaranj city, is among women who say their married lives began under the shadow of heavy dowries. She recalled that her husband worked as a labourer in Iran for seven years to collect 1.5 million afghanis for tawyana and wedding expenses. However, instead of becoming the beginning of a peaceful life, the marriage was…