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Afghan refugees are citizens of
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
who were compelled to abandon their country as a result of major wars,
persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these ter ...
,
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...
or
genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the ...
. The 1978
Saur Revolution The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution ( ps, د ثور انقلاب; prs, إنقلاب ثور), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ...
followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion marked the first wave of internal displacement and
international migration International migration occurs when people cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum length of the time. Migration occurs for many reasons. Many people leave their home countries in order to look for economic opportunities ...
from Afghanistan to neighboring
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
; smaller numbers also went to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
or to the
former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
. Between 1979 and 1992, more than 20% of Afghanistan's population fled the country as refugees. When the Soviet forces left Afghanistan in 1989, many began returning to their homeland. They again migrated to neighboring countries during and after the
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) The 1992–1996 Afghan Civil War took place between 28 April 1992—the date a new interim Afghan government was supposed to replace the Republic of Afghanistan of President Mohammad Najibullah—and the Taliban's conquest of Kabul establishing ...
but between 2002 and 2022 most have returned to Afghanistan. Afghanistan became one of the largest refugee-producing countries in the world. Over 6 million Afghan refugees were residing in both Iran and Pakistan by 2000. Today, they are the third largest group after
Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...
and Venezuelan refugees. Some countries that were part of the
International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...
(ISAF) established special programs to allow thousands of Afghans to resettle in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
or
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. As stateless
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s or
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s, they are protected by the well-established
non-refoulement Non-refoulement () is a fundamental principle of international law that forbids a country receiving asylum seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, membe ...
principle and the U.N. Convention Against Torture. They receive the maximum government benefits and protections in countries such as
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. For example, those that receive
green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
s under can immediately become " non-citizen nationals of the United States" pursuant to , without needing to meet the requirements of . This allows them to travel with distinct United States passports. Australia provides a similar benefit to admitted refugees.


Internal displacement

According to the
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM wa ...
(IOM), there are over five million internally displaced people in Afghanistan as of late 2021. Military actions and violence by the warring factions usually play a major part in the displacement, although there are also reasons of major natural disasters. The Soviet invasion caused approximately 2 million Afghans to be internally displaced, mostly from rural areas into urban areas. The
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) The 1992–1996 Afghan Civil War took place between 28 April 1992—the date a new interim Afghan government was supposed to replace the Republic of Afghanistan of President Mohammad Najibullah—and the Taliban's conquest of Kabul establishing ...
caused a new wave of internal displacement, with many citizens moving to northern areas in order to avoid the Taliban
totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regu ...
. Afghanistan has long suffered from insecurity and conflict, which has led to an increase in internal displacement.


Major host countries

Native people of Afghanistan and their children lawfully reside in at least 96 countries around the world. About three in four
Afghans Afghans ( ps, افغانان, translit=afghanan; Persian/ prs, افغان ها, translit=afghānhā; Persian: افغانستانی, romanized: ''Afghanistani'') or Afghan people are nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, or people with ancestry ...
have gone through internal and/or external displacement in their life. Unlike in certain other countries, all admitted refugees and those granted asylum in the United States are statutorily eligible for
permanent residency Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with suc ...
(
green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
) and then U.S. nationality or U.S. citizenship.See generally ; ; ; ; * All of their children automatically become
Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
if they fulfill all of the requirements of , or . This extends their privileges, and gives all of them additional international protection against any unlawful threat or harm.


Pakistan

Approximately 1,438,432 registered Afghan refugees and
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s temporarily reside in Pakistan under the care and protection of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(UNHCR). Of these, 58.1% reside and work in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
, 22.8% in
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, 11.7% in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
, 4.6% in
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, 2.4% in the capital
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
and 0.3% in
Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger K ...
. Most were born and raised in Pakistan in the last four decades but are considered citizens of Afghanistan. They are free to return to Afghanistan under a voluntary
repatriation Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
program or move to any other country of the world and be firmly resettled there. Since 2002, around 4.4 million Afghan citizens have been repatriated through the UNHCR from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Some members of the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
and their family have long been residing among the Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Others such as the
Special Immigrant Visa The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programs are programs for receiving a United States visa. The program is administered under the '' Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Public Law 110-181'', which was signed into law on January 28, 20 ...
(SIV) applicants and their family members, who are awaiting to be firmly settled in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, are also residing in Pakistan. Regarding the Taliban,
Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...
stated the following:


Iran

As of October 2020, there are 780,000 registered Afghan refugees and asylum seekers temporarily residing in Iran under the care and protection of the UNHCR. The majority of them were born in Iran during the last four decades but are still considered citizens of Afghanistan. According to Iranian officials, 2 million citizens of Afghanistan who have no legal documents and over half a million Iranian visa holders also reside in various parts of the country. Iran has long been used by Afghans to reach
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
and then
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
where they apply for
political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...
. As in Pakistan, the Afghan refugees are not firmly settled but reside there on a temporary basis. Iran's initial response towards Afghan refugees, driven by
religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...
solidarity, was an open door policy where Afghans in Iran had freedom of movement to travel or work in any city in addition to subsidies for
propane Propane () is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as ...
,
gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...
, certain food items and even health coverage. In the early 2000s, Iran's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) initiated registration of all foreigners, including refugees. It began issuing temporary residence cards to certain Afghans. In 2000, the Iranian government also initiated a joint repatriation program with the UNHCR. Laws were passed in order to encourage the repatriation of Afghan refugees, such as limits on employment, areas of residence, and access to services including education.


Other countries


Canada

When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Canadian Government announced it would resettle 40,000 vulnerable Afghans such as women and girls, members of Afghanistan's LGBTQ community, human rights workers and journalists. This was in addition to an earlier initiative to resettle thousands of Afghans who had worked for the Canadian Government, such as interpreters and embassy employees, as well as their families. By March 2022,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
resettled 8,580 Afghan refugees. By August 2022, the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul, that number had risen to 17,375.


Uganda

On 17 August, after the fall of Kabul, Ugandan Government announced that based on United States' request, they will be temporarily hosting 2000 Afghan refugees. The refugees were expected to be brought in batches of 500 to Entebbe where
UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...
has secured Imperial Hotels for their arrival and screening. The number of refugees currently residing in Uganda is unclear, but according to reports, Ugandan officials had confirmed the arrival of 145 refugees on Sunday, 22 August 2021. Another 51 Afghans were received at the Entebbe International Airport by the Government of the Republic of Uganda on 25 August 2021.


United States

On 7 August, due to the threat from the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
, the US. Embassy Kabul announced to all American citizens living in Afghanistan to began evacuating themselves from the country and that all employees of the embassy leave immediately if "their function could be performed from elsewhere." Although, the Department of State, on April 27, 2021, has ordered American Troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, it was not until early August 2021 that the security situation of Kabul deteriorated drastically. This was a time when Taliban militia were taking over Afghanistan one city and/or province at a time. On August 12, the US. Embassy Kabul issued a security alert directing all US citizen to leave Afghanistan immediately using commercial flights if they can, and if they could not afford it, they could contact the embassy to get information regarding repatriation loan. On August 18, 2021, the Embassy issued another alert to US citizen and LPRs (lawful permanent residents) with their spouse and unmarried children to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport and enter the airport at Camp Sullivan. When news of this reached the ears of the many Afghan citizens trying to escape the rule of Taliban, they rushed to HKIA. And thus began, the second phase of
Operation Allies Refuge Operation Allies Refuge was a United States military operation to airlift certain at-risk Afghan civilians, particularly interpreters, U.S. embassy employees, and other prospective Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants from Afghanistan during ...
from 15 August to 31 August 2021. On August 21 and August 25, the US. Embassy once again issued security alerts advising US citizen to avoid travelling to the airport and to evacuate the Abbey Gate, East Gate and North Gate immediately. On August 26, 2021, CNN reported two explosions at the HKIA that killed 13 US Marines and approximately 60 Afghans outside the airport walls. The US admitted more than 10,000 Afghan refugees from the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
, which became a temporary host to them on behalf of other nations. However, nearly 12,000 refugees remained in the
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
facility as of August 2022. Refugees began to protest the slow and opaque resettlement process and the living conditions. The protests resurfaced in October 2022. A refugee who moved to Canada said they are “psychologically suffering” in the Emirati facility.


Statistics

As shown in the chart below, Afghan refugees were admitted to other countries during the following periods: *
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
(1979–1989) *
Afghan Civil War (1992–96) War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...
* Taliban Rule (1996–2001) *
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict that began when an Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, international military coalition led by the United States launched United States invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion of Afghanistan, ...
{{Clear {, class="wikitable sortable" , - bgcolor="#ececec" ! {{nobr, Country ! Soviet–Afghan War (1979–89) ! Civil War (1992–96) ! Taliban Rule (1996–2001) ! colspan="2",
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict that began when an Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, international military coalition led by the United States launched United States invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion of Afghanistan, ...
, - , {{flagdeco, Pakistan
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, align={{sort, 3100000, 3,100,000 {{harvnb, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 1999, p= , align= , , align={{sort, 1438432, 1,438,432 , , - , {{flagdeco, Iran
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, align={{sort, 3100000, 3,100,000 , align= , , align= {{sort, 780000, 780,000 , {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58283177, title=Afghanistan: How many refugees are there and where will they go? , date=31 August 2021, agency=BBC News, access-date=2022-01-06 , - , {{flagdeco, Germany
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, align= , , , align={{sort, 147994, 147,994 , , - , {{flagdeco, Turkey
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
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United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
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Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, align= , , , align={{sort, 29927, 29,927 , , - , {{flagdeco, Greece Greece , align= , , , align={{sort, 21456, 21,456 , , - , {{flagdeco, India
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, align=60,000 , , , align={{sort, 15806, 15,806 , , - , {{flagdeco, Switzerland Switzerland , align= , , , align={{sort, 14523, 14,523 , , - , {{flagdeco, Italy Italy , align= , , , align={{sort, 12096, 12,096 , , - , {{flagdeco, Australia
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
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United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
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Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
, align= , align=1,161 {{harvnb, Erlich, 2006, p= , align=15,336 , align={{sort, 5573, 5,573 , , - , {{flagdeco, Netherlands
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Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
, align= , , , align={{sort, 3331, 3,331 , , - , {{flagdeco, Malaysia Malaysia , align= , , , align={{sort, 2661, 2,661 , , - , {{flagdeco, Romania Romania , align= , , , align={{sort, 2384, 2,384 , , - , {{flagdeco, Canada
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, align= , , , align={{sort, 2261, 2,261 , , - , {{flagdeco, Denmark Denmark , align= , , , align={{sort, 2134, 2,134 , {{Clear


Human rights abuses

{{See also, Deportation of Afghan refugees from the United States, Drowning of Afghan refugees in the Hari River Human rights abuses against admitted Afghan
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s and
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s have been documented widely. This include
mistreatment Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...
,
persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these ter ...
or
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...
in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Germany, the United States and in several other NATO-members states.{{Cite web , url=https://cite.case.law/f3d/383/1112/#p1115 , title=Mashiri v. Ashcroft, 383 F.3d 1112 , pages=1115–19 , work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit , publisher=Harvard Law School , date=November 2, 2004 , access-date=2021-08-01 Afghans living in Iran, for example, were deliberately restricted from attending public schools.{{cite news , last1=Bezhan , first1=Frud , title=Class Act: Iranians Campaign To Allow Afghan Refugee Kids Into School , url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-afghanistan-refugee-children-school-access-policies-campaign/28712296.html , access-date=7 June 2018 , agency=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty , publisher=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty , date=2 September 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140510/https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-afghanistan-refugee-children-school-access-policies-campaign/28712296.html , archive-date=12 June 2018 , url-status=live{{cite news , title=The price of an education for Afghan refugees in Iran , url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2014/sep/05/iranthe-afghanistan-refugees , access-date=7 June 2018 , work=The Guardian , date=5 September 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144327/https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2014/sep/05/iranthe-afghanistan-refugees , archive-date=12 June 2018 , url-status=live As the price of citizenship for their family members, Afghan children as young as 14 were recruited to fight in Iraq and Syria for a six-month tour. Afghan refugees were regularly denied visas to travel between countries to visit their family members, faced long delays (usually a few years) in processing of their visa applications to visit family members for purposes such as weddings, gravely ill family member, burial ceremonies, and university graduation ceremonies; potentially violating rights including free movement, right to family life and the
right to an effective remedy The Right to an effective remedy is the right of a person whose human rights have been violated to legal remedy. Such a remedy must be accessible, binding, capable of bringing perpetrators to justice, provide appropriate reparations, and prevent fur ...
. Racism, low wage jobs including below minimum wage jobs, lower than inflation rate salary increases, were commonly practiced in Europe and elsewhere. Unsanitary conditions have been reported at US air bases, and one Afghan refugee's online post of his food portion at
Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of William Wallace Smith Bliss, LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President ...
in 2021 drew some hateful responses. Many Afghan refugees were not permitted to visit their family members for a decade or two. Studies have shown abnormally high
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles Stress (biology), stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-maki ...
issues and
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
rates among Afghan refugees and their children.{{cite journal , last1=Stempel , first1=Carl , last2=Sami , first2=Nilofar , last3=Koga , first3=Patrick Marius , last4=Alemi , first4=Qais , last5=Smith , first5=Valerie , last6=Shirazi , first6=Aida , title=Gendered Sources of Distress and Resilience among Afghan Refugees in Northern California: A Cross-Sectional Study , journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , date=28 December 2016 , volume=14 , issue=1 , page=25 , doi=10.3390/ijerph14010025 , pmid=28036054 , pmc=5295276, doi-access=free


See also

*
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM wa ...
(IOM) *
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(UNHCR) *''
United States of Al ''United States of Al'' is an American television sitcom created by David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari. It stars Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young, with Elizabeth Alderfer, Kelli Goss, Dean Norris, and Farrah Mackenzie in supporting roles. The seri ...
'' (TV show about Afghan refugee residing with an American family)


References

{{Reflist, 3


Sources

* {{cite web , date=February 12, 1999, url = https://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=search&docid=3ae6b81cf0&query=Return%20to%20Afghanistan, title = Afghanistan 10 years after Soviet pull-out, publisher = UNHCR , access-date = November 5, 2013, ref={{sfnref, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees1999 * {{cite web , last=Erlich, first=Aaron , date=July 2006, url = https://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=411, title = Tajikistan: From Refugee Sender to Labor Exporter, publisher = Migration Policy Institute , access-date = November 7, 2013


External links


Colombia to Host Afghans Making Their Way to the United States
(U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 20, 2021)
Afghanistan: Pakistan fences off from Afghan refugees
(BBC News, Aug. 18, 2021)
After 20 years of destruction, the US has a moral obligation to let in 1 million Afghan refugees
(Business Insider, Aug. 16, 2021)
Pakistan considers 'Iran model' to tackle Afghan refugee spillover
(TRT World, July 20, 2021)
Senate agrees to spend $2.1 billion on Capitol security and Afghan refugee aid
(Washington Examiner, April 29, 2021) {{European migrant crisis * Refugees by war