United Nations: Afghan Women Are Returning to a Country Where They Have No Future

Photo: © UNFPA via media monitors

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme says that in Afghanistan there are no educational, employment, or social and economic growth opportunities for women and girls who return from migration.

Stephanie Luz, the program’s director in Afghanistan, said at a press conference in Geneva, “I have a daughter, so when I look at those teenage girls, I know they are returning to a country where there is no education for girls above the age of 12, where they do not know where to go, and where there are clearly no opportunities for social or economic growth.”

She added that among the returnees, there are families headed by women who must return to a society where women even need the accompaniment of a “mahram” or male guardian to leave the house or visit a doctor.

According to Luz, Afghanistan is now facing an unprecedented returnee crisis. Since September 2023, more than three million people have returned to the country, about 60 percent of whom are under the age of 18. In just one week, from July 25 to August 1, more than 85,000 people were deported from Iran and more than 3,000 from Pakistan.

She stressed that what is urgently needed is a coordinated reintegration program in the areas where returnees settle. Without such a process, they will become trapped in a cycle of dependency and face serious risks.

The UN resettlement program director said that rebuilding lives requires more than emergency aid. In her view, people need adequate housing, property rights, access to clean water, healthcare services, and livelihood opportunities to live with dignity.

Luz noted that Afghanistan was already grappling with serious challenges. Nearly half of the population required humanitarian assistance, and the human rights situation, especially for women and girls, was deteriorating. She also pointed out that Afghanistan is among the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, and that drought, flooding, and heat threaten rural livelihoods and even life in urban areas.

This UN official called for sustained financial support from the international community and stressed that returnees should not be seen as an extra burden, but rather as people who bring a set of skills and can contribute to their communities.