UNICEF: 160,000 Afghans Returned from Iran in June Alone

Photo: © UNICEF/South-Asia

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that in June of this year alone, 160,000 Afghan citizens returned to the country through the Islam Qala border crossing. This figure comes amid the ongoing wave of deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan.

On Monday (30 June), the agency stated that with the growing number of returnees, there is an urgent need for access to safe drinking water, healthcare, and nutrition services. UNICEF also reported the expansion of child-friendly spaces at border areas.

Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia, who recently visited the Islam Qala crossing, said, “I saw the urgent needs there firsthand.” He added that he met with a large number of returning women and children.

Wijesekera stated, “It is hard to imagine the scale of changes they are facing in their lives and education; changes that are so different from how they lived in Iran.”

UNICEF emphasized that in order to respond to the urgent needs of returnees from Iran and Pakistan, more than 64.4 million USD in funding is required. These funds would be used in areas such as child protection, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, shelter, non-food items, and livelihood support.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has also reported that over 230,000 Afghan migrants were deported from Iran in the month of June alone. International organizations have warned that returning women and children are among the most vulnerable groups in this process.