The Silent Crisis: Afghan Refugees Face Forced Deportation and the Illusion of a Safe Return
By 8am Media News Desk
More than three and a half years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, a wave of forced migration, poverty, insecurity, and instability has deeply affected the lives of millions of people across the country. The collective deportation of individuals from Afghanistan by Iran and Pakistan has intensified, with thousands of families being returned to a homeland struggling with poverty, unemployment, and structural instability under Taliban rule. Kabul—the final destination for many of these returnees—is now on the verge of a breakdown in urban and humanitarian services, according to a report by 8am Media.
In recent years, Iran and Pakistan have implemented wide-scale deportation policies targeting citizens of Afghanistan, citing a lack of legal residency documents. In 2023 alone, Pakistan expelled more than 500,000 individuals. In Iran, arbitrary arrests, denial of basic rights, and discriminatory treatment have made life unbearable for many. These actions have been carried out without consideration for humanitarian or security conditions, as noted by 8am Media. The report highlights that many returnees—including children born in Iran or Pakistan—have little familiarity with Afghanistan and face cultural and security shocks upon return. This situation has endangered social cohesion and significantly increased the vulnerability of affected families.
Returning to Afghanistan often feels more like falling into a bottomless abyss than returning to a place of safety. In Kabul, thousands of returnee families are now living in slums, tents, and informal settlements. Widespread unemployment, lack of access to clean drinking water, rising living costs, and shortages of essential services such as healthcare and education have left them in a critical humanitarian situation. In some parts of the city, families must wait for days to access a single tanker of water, as reported by 8am Media. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that most returnees, lacking housing in the provinces, seek refuge in Kabul, creating new challenges for the capital.
The sudden increase in population has placed immense strain on Kabul’s already fragile water supply, healthcare system, and job market. Food prices and housing rents have surged, making conditions especially harsh for returnee families, particularly for single mothers and children. According to 8am Media, unofficial sources indicate that over 80 percent of young people in the city are unemployed. The absence of job opportunities has pushed many into begging, hard manual labor, or even irregular migration.
The Taliban regime has imposed sweeping restrictions on women, the media, education, and personal freedoms, resulting in a repressive and closed-off society. For individuals who spent years living in more open environments, returning to such an atmosphere means the loss of basic freedoms and personal safety, as highlighted by 8am Media. The report concludes that until the return of displaced individuals to Afghanistan is voluntary, safe, and supported by international mechanisms, these forced deportations represent a clear violation of human rights.
The international community, humanitarian organizations, and host governments must refrain from coercive expulsion policies and instead focus on solutions for safe resettlement, legal migration, and the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s infrastructure. Otherwise, the humanitarian crisis within Afghanistan will deepen, and a new wave of catastrophic, irregular migration will inevitably follow, as warned by 8am Media. As the situation continues to deteriorate, it is essential that the international community takes immediate action to address the plight of Afghan refugees and ensure their safe return.
This report is based on information provided by 8am Media, a news organization that has been closely following the situation of Afghan refugees. The article is a testament to the organization’s commitment to shedding light on the human rights crisis faced by Afghan refugees and the need for a safe and voluntary return.
For more information on this topic, readers can refer to the original report by 8am Media.
