1,151 children deported to Afghanistan in 6 months

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) says 1,151 Afghan children have been deported from Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey over the past six months.

Samiullah Ibrahimi, a spokesman for MoLSA, told Pajhwok Afghan News that since the beginning of this solar year, most of the children have been reunited with their families.

He noted that the majority of these deportations originated from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey.

Ibrahimi explained that many of these children’s families resided in Afghanistan, and the children had traveled to these countries illegally.

For children whose families are not in Afghanistan or cannot be located immediately, MoLSA has established separate support centers for boys and girls.

He assured that these children would receive protection and care at these centers until their families are found. MoLSA staff are present at all land ports to register deported children.

“If the children have accurate family addresses, MoLSA will coordinate with the relevant provincial departments to locate their families”.

If the families are untraceable or addresses are incorrect, the children will be transferred to Kabul for protection and care, where they will be accommodated in MoLSA's support centers.

Ibrahimi also mentioned that the ages of the deported children varied.

He said relevant agencies of the Islamic Emirate are engaged with countries through diplomatic channels, urging them not to deport minor children. Efforts are ongoing to prevent such deportations in the future.

He called on families who send their children illegally abroad to ensure proper care for their children while they are in foreign countries.

sa/ma