Afghanistan Watchdog Reports Widespread Organ Harvesting Amid Famine

Afghanistan Watchdog Reports Widespread Organ Harvesting Amid Famine
An Afghan mother of six who started begging on the streets after losing her job when her employer fled the country, in Kabul in Nov. 16, 2021. WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images
Updated:

As the U.S. government diverts military equipment and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the famine in Afghanistan has become so dire that some people are engaging in organ harvesting and human trafficking to survive, according to the latest quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance increased to 24.4 million this year from 18.4 million a year ago, the April 30 SIGAR report stated.

The United Nations declared a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan last December. The SIGAR report concurred, adding that the crisis is worsening.

“NGOs have reported some families resorting to selling kidneys or other organs, and even selling their children to survive,” SIGAR said. “Media reports indicate that organ sales have become particularly widespread in Afghanistan, with the price of a human kidney dropping by over half due to high supply since the Taliban seized power.”

The SIGAR report attributed some of the increase in starvation to a historically severe drought.

“The onset of spring traditionally brings relief from food shortages; however, with Afghanistan in the grips of the worst drought in three decades, below-average winter precipitation means the spring harvest is unlikely to improve food security for vulnerable families,” the report said.

SIGAR also partly attributed the war in Ukraine to the worsening crisis in Afghanistan.