WMN: World’s Silence Over Refugee Deportations Is “Shameful”
The Women’s Movement Network has described the international community’s silence and inaction over the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan as “shameful”. The network says thousands of Afghan women and men are trapped between the threat of deportation and a return to Taliban rule.
In a statement, the network said the United Nations, the UN Refugee Agency, the Human Rights Council, governments claiming to defend human rights and other international institutions have a moral and humanitarian responsibility towards refugees facing serious risks.
The statement said that while Afghan women have been deprived of their most basic rights under Taliban rule, some international actors continue to engage with the group and normalise relations with it.
The Women’s Movement Network said this silence and engagement have emboldened the Taliban and placed the Afghan people, particularly women, at even greater risk.
The network also condemned the silence of former officials of the republic, politicians, leaders and influential Afghan figures.
The statement said: “Those who held the highest positions of power for years and now live peaceful and comfortable lives in safe countries remain silent while millions of Afghan citizens pay a heavy price for past decisions, failures and policies through displacement, uncertainty, imprisonment, poverty and exile.”
The Women’s Movement Network said these individuals cannot absolve themselves of moral and historical responsibility for Afghanistan’s current situation. It described their silence over refugee deportations, the repression of women and human rights violations by the Taliban as “another betrayal of the Afghan people”.
Another part of the statement criticised the Pakistani government’s policy towards Afghan refugees.
The network said Pakistan hosted millions of Afghan citizens for years while maintaining close relations with the Taliban. However, following increased tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban, refugees have been turned into instruments of political pressure.
According to the network, women protesters, civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders and other Taliban opponents are paying the price for these disputes. Those returned to Afghanistan could face arrest, torture, enforced disappearance and even death.
The Women’s Movement Network warned that the mass deportation of refugees without an individual assessment of their circumstances places vulnerable people’s lives at risk. It said returning people to a place where they face persecution and abuse violates the principle of non-refoulement.
The statement stressed that women protesters, journalists, human rights activists, artists, judges, former security personnel and others pursued by the Taliban must be exempted from deportation and receive urgent protection.
The Women’s Movement Network called on the Pakistani government to immediately halt the deportation of people facing serious risks and grant them protective exemptions.
It also called on the United Nations, democratic governments and international institutions to provide safe and legal pathways for the relocation of people at risk and take practical action to protect Afghan refugees.
Pakistan launched a large-scale process to return undocumented migrants in October 2023, with Afghan citizens making up most of those targeted. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 2.5 million Afghans returned from Pakistan between September 2023 and 15 June 2026. More than 211,000 people have also been deported since 1 April 2025.
Human Rights Watch reported in April 2026 that police raids, arbitrary arrests and refugee deportations had increased amid rising tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban. The organisation said journalists, human rights activists, Taliban critics and people associated with the former government face persecution and abuse if returned.
The Women’s Movement Network warned that every day of delay could place more lives at risk and said the international community must not once again abandon Afghan women and other vulnerable refugees.
