Afghan women forced back from Iran and Pakistan are fighting to rebuild their lives under Taliban rule that bars them from school and work, with many landing in a country they’ve never called home, according to UN. About three million Afghans have been kicked out or chose to leave since September 2023, with over two million showing up this year alone. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) warns that 60% of these returnees are kids under 18 who have zero connections in Afghanistan, putting them at serious risk.
Afghanistan is drowning in an unprecedented returnee crisis while 22.9 million people already desperately need help. The country is a mess – economic collapse, brutal human rights crackdowns, and climate disasters after more than 40 years of war. Many returnees have never even lived in Afghanistan and arrive with nothing – no homes, no money, no one to turn to.
Women and girls get hit the hardest under Taliban rules that stop them from going to high school, getting jobs, or even stepping outside without a man. “They’re being pushed back into a country where there’s no education for girls beyond 12, where they don’t actually know where to go,” said UN-Habitat’s Stephanie Loose in Geneva Friday. Women raising families alone can’t even see a doctor without male escorts.
Getting people settled is tough because Afghanistan ranks in the top 10 countries hammered by climate change. Droughts, floods, and scorching heat wreck farming while 80% of city folks live in slums. These returnees need way more than emergency handouts – they need water, toilets, and ways to make money so they can support their families.
The world needs to pour serious money into basic services, roads, housing, and job creation to help millions get back on their feet. Loose begged donors not to forget Afghanistan’s people, especially women and girls, and make sure there’s enough funding so they can live with some dignity.
