The International Save the Children Fund reports that nearly 50,000 children have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan in just the first 16 days of April this year.
In a report released on Friday, April 19, the organization warned that children are at risk of being separated from their families upon arrival in Afghanistan. With the intensification of the deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, children make up a large portion of returnees.
Save the Children emphasized that by April 16, over 84,000 Afghans had returned from Pakistan, with children accounting for 58% of that number.
The report added that around one-fifth of these children are under the age of five.
Previously, a deputy from Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior also confirmed that from the beginning of April until now, in less than three weeks, approximately 84,869 Afghans have been deported from the country.
Save the Children stated that since September 2023, the total number of Afghan children deported from Pakistan has reached around 545,000.
The report also noted that children returning to Afghanistan are highly vulnerable to infectious diseases, especially diarrhea and respiratory infections.
Omar, a 30-year-old father of five children—all born and raised in Pakistan—recently returned to Afghanistan. He shared his experience with Save the Children: “I still can’t believe what happened. I lost everything overnight. When I arrived in Afghanistan, I was empty-handed. The only things I could bring were the kids’ clothes, a few thin blankets, and some basic kitchen utensils.”
The report also highlighted findings from a 2024 survey conducted by Save the Children, in which nearly half of the families returning from Pakistan said they could not find work. 81% of respondents said they lacked the skills needed to secure employment.
The survey further revealed that two-thirds of the children who have returned to Afghanistan have not yet enrolled in school, with most saying they do not have the required documentation for registration.
Save the Children stated: “Many of these children were born in Pakistan. Afghanistan is not a place they consider home. The return of such a large population is putting additional pressure on resources that are already severely strained.”
