Afghanistan’s 2021 humanitarian crisis - who should be given priority for asylum?
All of us at Meine Farbe are watching the horrific and heartbreaking events unfolding in Afghanistan. As an organization closely linked to the topic of migration, we are particularly concerned about both internal displacement as well as international migration that is taking place in the country.
While the entire nation of Afghanistan is riddled with fear and terror, the human rights of women, children and individuals belonging to the LGBTQ community are particularly in serious danger at this time. According to an August 2021 report of the UNHCR, an estimated "80% of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children".
Between 1996 to 2001, when Taliban ruled Afghanistan, serious restrictions were placed on women. Not being able to step out of homes without male companions, denying them education, putting serious restrictions on their attire. All of these dictates are being enforced again. In Sher Khan Bandar - an Afghan town - these restrictions have already been introduced. Besides horrendous physical violence, another chilling issue is sexual violence and forced marriages.
The future of female children is naturally absolutely dreadful. Male children also remain highly vulnerable to sexual abuse. The practice of "bacha bazi" (dressing male children as women and sexually assaulting them) is still widely rampant in the country.
For LGBTQ individuals, their human rights were never even a point of discussion anyway. Same sex acts are illegal and same sex marriages are illegal. Under the ultra conservative Taliban rule, queer rights will naturally go unrecognized.
The number of people seeking asylum has naturally skyrocketed. The UNHCR and foreign countries entertaining asylum applications must prioritize women, children and LGBTQ individuals since they are the most vulnerable groups at this time. We are pleased to read that Canada has agreed to resettle 20,000 Afghan nationals. Canada has specified that their focus will be on human rights workers, female leaders and reporters working in the country. We sincerely hope that many other countries in the international community will immediately follow suit - as there is no time to spare in a situation as grave as this.
- Shubham Kshirsagar
References:
https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2021/8/611617c55/unhcr-warns-afghanistans-conflict-taking-heaviest-toll-displaced-women.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/back-to-old-ways-taliban-forcing-women-to-marry-terrorists-give-up-their-jobs/articleshow/85300503.cms
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/canada-to-resettle-20-000-afghan-refugees-amid-taliban-blitzkrieg-focus-on-vulnerable-groups-101628900239565.html