KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 15-year-old migrant girl has gone missing in Iran, adding to growing concerns over the safety of refugees from Afghanistan amid rising hostility and forced deportations.
Relatives of Farida Mohammadi say she disappeared seven days ago, and her whereabouts remain unknown. A family member told KabulNow that Farida went missing around noon on Wednesday, July 9, from the Deh Metri area in Islamshahr, Salehabad district of Tehran.
According to the source, Farida had been working at a local tailoring workshop and vanished after leaving the workplace. Her family says Iranian police have launched an investigation, sending inquiries to refugee camps and hospitals.
A document seen by KabulNow indicates that the Taliban-controlled Afghan embassy in Tehran has confirmed her disappearance based on a complaint filed by her mother. The embassy has asked Iranian authorities to assist the family in locating her.
This case comes amid a disturbing pattern of violence and disappearances targeting Afghan migrants in Iran. In mid-June, the mutilated body of Kobra Rezaei, a young woman from Afghanistan who had been missing for 50 days, was found among garbage in Tehran. Iranian media later reported that her remains were discovered in the home of an Iranian man, who was subsequently arrested.
More recently, Amir Taha Rezaei, an 18-year-old migrant from Afghanistan, was reported missing, and his body was later found in a garden near Damavand, close to Tehran.
Rights organizations and migration watchdogs warn that Afghan refugees in Iran are facing heightened risks due to a surge in anti-migrant sentiment and state crackdowns. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and recent reports by Human Rights Watch, Afghan migrants have increasingly been subjected to harassment, arbitrary detention, and mass deportations since late 2023.
Iran hosts one of the largest Afghan refugee populations in the world, estimated at over 3.5, including both registered refugees and undocumented migrants. However, Iranian authorities have stepped up pressure on this community in recent months, citing economic strain and security concerns.
Official figures indicate that hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants have been deported in 2024 alone, with reports of people being sent back without due process. These forced returns are taking place despite warnings from international agencies that deportations to Afghanistan could expose returnees to persecution, poverty, and severe humanitarian conditions under Taliban rule.
Human rights activists say the growing wave of violence and deportations reflects a dangerous climate of hostility fueled by economic hardship and political tensions in Iran. Social media campaigns calling for the expulsion of Afghan migrants have amplified discrimination, while local authorities have imposed stricter residency checks and employment bans.
International organizations, including the UN, have urged Tehran to halt forced deportations and ensure the protection of vulnerable migrants, particularly women and children, who face heightened risks of abuse and exploitation.
