GHOR (SW) – 25-year-old Ghor resident Ameer Dad’s last and most horrific trip of irregular migration to Iran remains unforgettable for him.
Forced by crippling poverty and raging insecurity into irregular migration, he had previously embarked on this treacherous journey at least four times. However, last year, a deadly car crash in Iran’s Sestan Baluchistan took away the lives of his two family members among 30 other Afghans.
Narrating his painful ordeal, Ameer said despite enduring all the hardships, he could not earn enough money in Iran to support his family and escape the hardships of life that compelled him to migrate in the first place. Talking to Salam Watandar, Ameer said he worked there for months, but the Iranian supervisor forced him to return to Afghanistan empty handed without any payment for the his hard work.
His advice to all fellow Afghans is to never go for irregular migration.
The Ghor civil society activists said in this regard that joblessness and insecurity continue to lure the youth towards this dangerous path.
Fazalul Haq Fayeq, a member of the Ghor civil society, said almost all families residing in the province have personal experiences of some of their members undergoing this bitter experience. He said many youngsters have lost their lives on these thorny routes and some have returned empty handed to face even worst circumstances in the society.
Statistics provided by the Ghor department for refugees and repatriation suggest some 1022 residents of the province were deported back to Afghanistan from Iran, Turkey and Pakistan in the first nine months of this year alone. At least 300 of them were minors below the age of 18.
Head of the Ghor department for refugees and repatriation, Abdul Rauf Ghafoor, said the human smugglers lure these minors to irregular migration, and eventually keep them hostage for higher amounts of ransom money.
He mentioned that with the support of the International Organization of Migration, the returnees are provided with financial and food support.
Officials at the Ghor department for refugees and repatriation informed that the returnees suffering from the Covid-19 are also provided with support.
ENDS
