As the expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran increases, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that women and girls returning to their country are concerned about the situation.
The UNHCR has published a report indicating that Iran has intensified the expulsion of migrants in recent weeks, with thousands being sent back to Afghanistan daily.
Arefat Jamal, head of the UNHCR office in Afghanistan, who visited the Islam Qala border in Herat province, stated that many Afghans are “terrified and worried” about returning to their country.
Mr. Jamal emphasized that these concerns are much greater among women, as they are being returned to a country where they have been deprived of even the most basic rights, including the freedom to move around.
The head of the UNHCR office said, “I was right at the border between Iran and Afghanistan, where thousands of Afghans are returning under dire conditions. Afghan families are becoming displaced once again, arriving with minimal belongings, exhausted, hungry, and terrified of what awaits them in a country many of them have never even set foot in. Women and girls are particularly worried because they fear restrictions on freedom of movement and fundamental rights such as education and employment.”
According to UN data, in the past week alone, Iran has expelled over 88,000 Afghan migrants from the country, Iran has been home to the largest number of Afghan migrants.
