KABUL (SW) – A number of Afghan migrants who went to Iran to find work, say that they left Afghanistan fearing poverty and joblessness after the return of the Islamic Emirate, but now they are frightened to by caught and persecuted by the Iranian police.
Abdul Hadi, an Afghan migrant in Iran who has been working on a construction site in Tehran city for the past two years, says that while he is trying to provide meals for his family, the fear of being arrested by the police has taken away his peace.
“At this time, the situation is dire and we are working with fear and trembling. When we go to a bakery, we are careful not to be taken by surprise by the security officers,” he added.
Khalid, another Afghan migrant in Iran, says that he had to migrate to Iran to get a job in order to support his family. “There is no work or income in Afghanistan, and we were forced to work in Iran, and in Iran, migrants are harassed.”
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that nearly 8 million Afghan citizens have left Afghanistan since 2020.
The IOM has added that one million Afghans have sought refuge in European countries and 85% of more migrants have gone to neighboring countries.
A part of this organization’s report states: “About 70% of Afghans who migrate to Iran have told this organization that they left their country due to the lack of job opportunities.”
However, last year more than one million Afghan citizens returned to Afghanistan from Iran voluntarily and forcibly, according to the Ministry of Repatriations and Refugees (MoRR).
It is noteworthy that currently, based on the statements of the Iranian authorities, five million Afghan citizens are living in the country, who have faced violence, detention and interrogation in some cases.
