UN agency seeks urgent aid for Afghan women returning from Pakistan, Iran

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality (UN Women) has warned that Afghan women and girls returning from Iran and Pakistan urgently require humanitarian aid to rebuild their lives in communities already strained by economic hardship and environmental challenges.

The agency said that over two million undocumented Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023. “Many of these returnees are arriving in a country they have never lived in before,” UN Women said.

The report noted that returnees often lacked shelter, income, access to healthcare and educational opportunities. “For women and girls, the risks are compounded by poverty, early marriage, gender-based violence, and harsh restrictions on their rights and freedoms,” it added.

UN Women highlighted that only 10 percent of female-headed households have permanent shelter, while humanitarian organisations are struggling to respond as international funding continues to decline. “Aid workers, particularly women at border areas, are also facing immense pressure,” the agency stated.

UN officials and humanitarian groups are calling for greater international investment in support programmes tailored for returning women and girls. “Strengthening these programmes... is essential for helping vulnerable populations survive and adapt to the harsh realities on the ground,” the agency said.

The call comes as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Pakistan to halt the deportation of vulnerable Afghan refugees.