Afghan Man With 58 Children Continues To Expand Family Despite Poverty: "Sometimes They Go To Bed Hungry"

In Afghanistan, a father of 58 children from four wives continues to grow his family despite struggling to meet even basic needs. According to a report by BBC Global Women, Muhammad Sadeq has fathered more than 70 children, 58 of whom are alive. His youngest child is just three months old. The family lives in extreme poverty, in mud houses without proper doors or windows. Thin curtains offer little protection, while paper is often used to light fires for cooking because they cannot afford firewood. At times, the children go to bed hungry, and many walk barefoot because their family cannot afford shoes.

Sadeq revealed that he works at a car dealership, where he earns 1,000 Afghanis (around $15) for each car he sells. This is the family's only source of income, leaving him struggling to provide food and other essentials for his children.

In an interview with the BBC, Sadeq admitted that he cannot remember all his children's names because there are so many of them. "I cannot remember all their names. Most of the time, I simply call them ‘son' or ‘child," he said. He also acknowledged that he had failed to fulfil his responsibilities towards his family.

Sadeq said all four of his wives married at a young age, a practice that remains a concern in Afghanistan. He also said several of his children died when they were young, attributing some of the deaths to their mothers' lack of experience in childcare. 

"I married my wives when they were young. Many of my children died because their mothers were very young. They did not know how to care for the children, breastfeed them or look after them. Some of my children died from tuberculosis, whooping cough and measles," he explained. 

Reflecting on his circumstances, Sadeq admitted that he would not have had so many children if he had known they would struggle to afford even basic food. However, he did not explain why he continued to expand his family despite the difficulties in providing for them.

His family's circumstances reflect the wider humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan. According to the United Nations, three out of every four people in the country are unable to meet their basic needs. Child marriage also remains widespread in the country. UNICEF data from 2023 showed that more than four million women aged 20 to 24 had been married before turning 18, highlighting the scale of the problem in the country.