Over 29,000 Afghan Children Deported from Iran and Pakistan

Since the beginning of the deportation process by Iran and Pakistan, more than 29,000 children have been expelled to Afghanistan.

The deported children are seeking reunification with their families who remain outside the country.

The High Commission for Refugee Affairs has assured that efforts are underway to reunite these children with their families.

Ahmadullah Wasiq, spokesperson for the commission, told : “In the meantime, some children have been reunited with their families, while the rest are under care in orphanages.”

Samiullah Ebrahimi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said: “The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has worked to locate the families of these children and hand them over to their relatives.”

The deported Afghan children carry painful stories of migration and forced return from Iran and Pakistan.

Siamak, a child deported from Iran, said: “They told a few people: when you return to Afghanistan, take this boy with you and at the border claim he is your son. Once you reach Afghanistan, release him so he can live on his own.”

Khalid, a child deported from Pakistan, said: “I miss my parents. If I return home again, I will live with my father, mother, and sisters.”

Previously, Save the Children reported that in June of this year alone, 80,000 Afghan children were deported from Iran to Afghanistan, of whom nearly 6,700 were unaccompanied.