As neighbors’ countries press tens of thousands of Afghans to return home, a deeper humanitarian crisis is brewing in Afghanistan.
In April alone, more than 280 000 Afghans were arrested or pressured to flee Pakistan and Iran. Many people arrived homeless and desperately needed assistance to rebuild their lives. Their futures are in jeopardy, as their tales reveal.
Ezatullah, 45, and his wife and seven children recently crossed the border into Afghanistan.
He claimed that they had told us to leave right away. Everything was lost, and all of our belongings were left behind. There is nothing left to be.”
Ezatullah spent his entire life working as a laborer in Rawalpindi, having been born and raised there. He now faces the agonizing task of raising his family in a nation he has never visited, where the rate of unemployment and poverty have dramatically increased, making half the population dependent on humanitarian aid for survival.
The region’s 5.25 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers are primarily residing in Pakistan and Iran for decades. However, Afghan communities are increasingly hostile because of the economic downturns in both nations.
In Afghanistan, returning citizens are exposed to serious dangers to their safety and rights.
Due to growing restrictions on their ability to work in certain industries, gain access to education, and move freely, women and girls are particularly vulnerable.
On returning, journalists, human rights advocates, and ethnic and religious minorities are also in increased danger.
Afghanistan’s acute humanitarian needs, rising unemployment, and declining international aid all contribute to these threats.
A plan of action has been put in place by the Afghan UN.
Nearly $60 million is required to provide essential support for vulnerable groups like women-headed households, people with disabilities, and children, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Additionally, the organization provides gender-based violence survivors with mental health care and assistance.
Arafat Jamal, the representative of UNHCR in Afghanistan, said, “Millions of Afghans’ lives are hanging by a thread.” In the coming days and weeks, greater international support is required to address this crisis.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply