The Refugee Rights division of Human Rights Watch has described recent footage showing the detention of Afghan women and girls in Pakistan as shocking and deeply distressing to the human conscience.
The organisation expressed grave concern over the treatment of Afghan women and minors, warning that their forced deportation poses a serious threat to their safety and dignity.
The footage, released by Afghanistan International, captured the moment Pakistani police detained a group of Afghan women and girls. In one scene, a young girl is seen crying and pleading with officers not to arrest her family, before they are forcibly placed into a police vehicle.
The rights group said thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan are living under intense pressure. Many are eligible for relocation to third countries, but ongoing detentions and deportations have disrupted the processing of their resettlement cases and diminished their hopes.
Refugee Rights Watch called on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia to take immediate action to protect Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
The organisation stressed that now is the time for global solidarity, stating that refugees are not criminals and should be supported rather than punished.
Arrests and deportations of Afghans in Pakistan have increased in recent weeks, coinciding with the suspension of the Afghan visa renewal process.
