Thousands of Afghan children deported from Iran and Pakistan are struggling to reunite with their families who remain outside the country, according to a report by Tolo News.
The High Commission for Refugee Affairs has assured that efforts are underway to bring the children back together with their families, Tolo News reported on Monday.
One child deported from Iran described his experience, saying, “They told a few people: when you return to Afghanistan, take this boy with you and at the border claim he is your son. Once you reach Afghanistan, release him so he can live on his own.”
Another child deported from Pakistan said, “I miss my parents. If I return home again, I will live with my father, mother, and sisters.”
Ahmadullah Wasiq, spokesperson for the Commission of Refugee Affairs, told Tolo News, “Some children have been reunited with their families, while the rest are under care in orphanages.”
Samiullah Ebrahimi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said, “The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has worked to locate the families of these children and hand them over to their relatives.”
The deported Afghan children carry painful stories of migration and forced return from Iran and Pakistan.
Previously, Save the Children reported that in June of this year alone, 80,000 Afghan children were deported from Iran to Afghanistan, of whom nearly 6,700 were unaccompanied.
In light of recent events, the United Nations also reported on Tuesday that more than three million people in Afghanistan are displaced by conflict and instability, warning urgent international aid is needed to address the humanitarian emergency, Khaama Press reported.
Further, as per the Khaama Press report, calling on donor governments and international partners, UNHCR urged the global community to deliver immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
With winter approaching, aid workers have warned that without urgent resources, millions of Afghans could be pushed deeper into poverty, hunger, and displacement.Â