The UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration have warned of an unprecedented rise in Afghans’ vulnerability to trafficking, exploitation and forced labour.
In a joint statement marking World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the two UN agencies said overlapping crises in Afghanistan had created greater opportunities for the exploitation of its citizens.
According to the report, the mass and forced return of Afghans from neighbouring countries, the collapse of the opium-based economy, sharp cuts in humanitarian aid, repeated natural disasters and continuing restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights are among the main factors increasing the risks of human trafficking and forced labour.
Recent assessments show that the living conditions of returnees are deeply concerning. Only 11 per cent have regular employment or their own businesses, while more than half are unable to cover their basic living costs.
These crushing economic pressures have forced many families to borrow money, increasing the risk of debt bondage, forced labour in unsafe sectors such as brick kilns, agriculture and mining, as well as forced marriage and organ removal.
Polleak Ok Serei, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime representative in Afghanistan, expressed concern over the situation and said the growing pressures had made stronger preventive measures and the accurate identification of victims more urgent.
Mihyung Park, the International Organization for Migration’s chief of mission in Afghanistan, said the scale of migrant returns far exceeded the capacity of local communities to absorb them.
She warned that without meaningful international support and employment opportunities, people would again be forced into dangerous and irregular migration, further fuelling the cycle of trafficking and exploitation of Afghans.
