Deeply Talks: Returning Children to Afghanistan

News Deeply

As European countries are finding grounds to refuse asylum to more and more Afghans, even children are being sent to Kabul. We use the word "returnees" cautiously, as many Afghans were born outside the country and are being sent 'back' to a country they have never been to. The first detailed research on Afghan child returnees, by Samuel Hall and Save the Children, points to worrying gaps in protection and planning that expose under age returnees to an array of dangers. The findings come at the same time as a Refugees Deeply investigation, The Vulnerability Contest, found Afghan minors in Greece's refugee camps facing possible asylum rejection and return. The Samuel Hall team spoke with 57 Afghan children, finding that nearly three-quarters of them did not feel safe during the returns process; and that more than half reported instances of violence and coercion. Nearly half of the children arrived in Afghanistan alone and on arrival, the children received little or no support. On this episode of Deeply Talks, Samuel Hall’s lead author Marion Guillaume, in Kabul, discusses these findings with Daniel Howden, senior editor of Refugees Deeply and author of our report on Afghan child soldiers in Greece’s asylum system.