Afghan Refugees Relief
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan deteriorated dramatically in 2021, with significant consequences for the most vulnerable among the population. Even prior to the events of August 2021, the year had seen the highest number of conflict-related casualties on record and a striking decline in the security and human rights situation in large parts of the country. According to OCHA, close to 700,000 people (59 per cent children and 21 per cent women)1 have been newly internally displaced by conflict in 2021, bringing it to a total of 3.4 million displaced by conflict inside Afghanistan as of December 2021. The situation remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly. The upsurge of violence across the country in 2021 and instability has had a serious impact on civilians and, combined with hardships caused by political uncertainty and the economic and food security situation, may cause further displacement, both internally and across borders. This would add to the 2.2 million registered refugees from previous waves of violence, and a further four million Afghans of varying status including undocumented persons. Many have been generously hosted in Iran and Pakistan over the past four decades, with several generations of Afghans being born in exile.u00a0 The total number crossing into neighboring countries can be difficult to verify as undocumented Afghans may resort to irregular land border crossing points, in many cases due to restrictive border policies, non-registration, and limited information shared by the concerned authorities. As such, the overall number of Afghans in need of international protection is likely to be much higher.