Fewer Afghans returning home from Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has temporarily suspended its voluntary Afghan repatriation program from Pakistan for the winter months, but will restart it in March of next year, IRIN reported Wednesday.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, over 3.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan.

However, despite bolstered financial assistance packages from UNHCR, the number of Afghan’s returning home is in decline due to security concerns.

“Indeed, the situation has deteriorated in parts of Afghanistan, especially the south, southeast and increasingly the central regions,” Vivian Tan, a spokeswoman for UNHCR, said. “Others said they cannot return for economic or social reasons, such as the lack of jobs, land, shelter, schools and clinics in Afghanistan,” she added.

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Iranian official pressed by Afghanistan on death penalty, refugees

Afghanistan said it called Iran’s representative to Kabul on Thursday to discuss refugee repatriation and reports of Afghan minors being sentenced to death for drug smuggling, Agence France-Presse reported today.

In border provinces, it is not unusual for there to be executions of drug smugglers of Afghan origin. An unconfirmed report included a case of a 17-year-old hanged for smuggling 1.5 kilograms, or 3 pounds, of heroin.

“These children are being misused by drug smugglers and their conviction is contrary to human rights, international standards and the very good relations between two countries,” said Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Kabir Farahi.

Farahi also brought up the issue of forced repatriation of Afghan refugees in border areas, especially regarding those with legal documents.

“At this time Afghanistan does not have the ability to absorb refugee groups. We want the Iranian authorities to revise their decision on this issue,” he said.

About 160,000 unregistered refugees and 6,500 registered refugees have been returned by Iran this year.

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Afghan refugees struggle to make new life in Iran

There are an estimated 1.5 million illegal Afghan migrants in Iran, many of whom are facing social and economic difficulties in the country, according to Epoch Times.

The refugees have come to occupy low-wage jobs in the agriculture and construction sectors; this undercutting of wages has fostered resentment from local Iranians.

Government restrictions now dictate where Afghans can live and access to education for children has also been impeded, as refugee families have little money to pay for tuition.

In April, the Iranian government began to forcibly deport refugees, often times with violence. “These refugees are there without any electricity, water, food, and jobs,” said Sohila Farhad, an activist with the Afghanistan-based RAWA humanitarian organization, of the Afghans forcibly deported.

However, Vivian Tan, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UHCHR), emphasized that protestations from the Afghan government, the international community, and the UNHCR has led the Iranian government to tone down its violent approach, and the number of forced deportations have even decreased in recent months.

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Iraqi refugee women and children in desperate need of healthcare

Iraqi refugees, particularly women and children in Jordan, Syria and Egypt, are in desperate need of health care, according to ReliefWeb.

According to the article, The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children on Tuesday “called on the United States and the international community to respond quickly and fully to the United Nations interagency appeal for $85 million dollars to provide desperately need health care for Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria and Egypt.

These refugees have almost no access to basic services and the Women’s Commission reports that on their recent trip to Jordan, there we only two clinics to provide free or subsidized medical care to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

“Iraqi women and children have suffered terrible trauma and violence – we have a responsibility to care for their health. The international community must act now to alleviate this situation,” said Carolyn Makinson, Executive Director.

There is a special need for a greater emphasis on women and girl’s health since many have been targets of sexual violence, including rape. Also, according to the article, “the stresses and pressures of refugee life are also causing a rise in domestic violence. And because refugees cannot legally work in Jordan, women and girls remain vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse.”

The Commission calls for the development of “a more comprehensive assistance strategy for Iraqi refugees that will reflect the magnitude of the refugee crisis,” and add that: “This should include significantly increased humanitarian assistance for refugees, greater support for refugee receiving countries, and robust resettlement programs for highly vulnerable Iraqis.”

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