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Following the Taliban takeover, numerous Afghans drifted away from Afghanistan, a country which has now the third-largest refugee population and the region's largest displaced population, with 2.7 million refugees scattered across 98 countries.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, Afghanistan comprises a huge mass of displaced citizens who, at times also forced across the border alongside Syrian and Venezuelan refugees. Iran continues to provide shelter to more than 780,000 registered Afghans who fled the country due to Taliban atrocities and is a host to the majority of Afghan refugees, Khaama Press reported. "Afghanistan's displacement crisis is one of the largest and most protracted in UNHCR's seven-decade history. We're now seeing the third generation of Afghan children born in exile," the UNHCR report quoted UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi as saying. In 2021 alone, 108,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, 59,000 to Europe, 27,000 to Iran, and 6,000 fled to Asia and the Pacific, Khaama Press reported quoting the report. Approximately, 24 million Afghans require humanitarian relief as a result of hunger, the country's economic meltdown, natural disasters including floods, earthquakes, droughts and famine, a lack of development aid, and the brutally cold winters. Notably, many of the Afghan refugees who flew to neighbouring nations seeking shelters after the Taliban takeover last August encountered atrocities as many do not have legal documents or visas. Since the Taliban's return to power in August last year, Afghanistan's situation has only deteriorated as serious human rights violations continue unabated. Earlier, a report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR), Michelle Bachelet highlighted the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August last year. "While the decline in hostilities had seen a decrease in civilian casualties, the human rights situation for many Afghans was of profound concern," Bachelet said, mentioning that at least 1156 civilians had died and countless were injured post 15th August 2021. The UN High Commissioner also highlighted that the Afghans have been facing devastating humanitarian and economic crises with half the population suffering extreme hunger. Talking about the rights of women and children, Bachelet informed that the Taliban regime has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. She also called for the Taliban regime to fulfil its commitment that the schools would open for all children, whether boys or girls this year. Earlier, UNHCR asked the European Union to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years but the request was resisted by the countries. With the reestablishment of the Taliban, a large number of Afghans fled the country and many are now living in poor conditions in the neighbouring countries. (ANI)
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