HERAT CITY (SW): The directorate of labor and social welfare in Herat has expressed concerns over the Iranian government’s move to deport one thousand Afghan children in two months.
Abdul Qayum Afghan, head of the directorate of labor and social welfare in Heart, has said these children are faced with grim danger in the border areas near Iran. He added families of many of these children are still in Iran, but they have been picked by the Iranian authorities either from work sites or from roadsides to be deported back to Afghanistan.
He feared more such children would be deported from Iran in the near future. Abdul Qayum has urged the Afghan and the Iranian governments to find a solution to this issue.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)’s Herat chapter has also raised concerns over the situation. According to the AIHRC, the Iranian authorities are deporting up to 50 children on daily basis that mean the number of deported children might be higher than estimated. According to the AIHRC, human traffickers are luring children to opt for the dangerous journey.
Abdul Qadir Rahimi, director AIHRC in Herat, informed that a majority of these children belong to the eastern and southern provinces, and the local authorities are reluctant to send the children back to their homes. Jailani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor, has urged upon Tehran to halt the process of deporting children back to Afghanistan. He has stressed that bilateral friendly ties and treaties should be considered.
ENDS
