KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – In June, about 80,000 Afghan children returned from Iran, including 6,700 who were unaccompanied and nearly 40% who were forcibly deported, according to Save the Children.
The organization also reports a significant increase in overall returns, with nearly 223,000 Afghans crossing back through the Islam Qala border point in June, more than double the 86,000 recorded in May. Families represented more than two-thirds of those returning.
Save the Children says it has established two childcare centers in Herat province to support returning children with psychosocial care and safe play areas. The centers are already at full capacity, with up to 400 children visiting daily, the organization adds.
“Many Afghan children are leaving Iran with next to nothing,” said Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director for Save the Children Afghanistan. “They are exhausted, afraid, and unsure how they will survive in a country already grappling with hunger, poverty, and the fallout of massive aid cuts.”
She called on the international community to increase support for Afghan children and their families as humanitarian needs continue to grow.
Reports indicate that Iranian authorities have escalated deportations of Afghans following a recent ceasefire agreement with Israel, leading to thousands of Afghan families—including many with legal documents—crossing into Afghanistan each day.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over half of the population relying on international aid. Save the Children warns that one in five children may face crisis-level hunger before October, as recent funding cuts have diminished the food assistance available to families.
