As citizens of any country, if we’re in the position to help others, I believe we should.
When U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan last month, hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens were left even more vulnerable than they were before. The hard truth is that when the media coverage dies down (and it will), the majority of Afghans will still be in Afghanistan facing violence and persecution, especially for women and girls. This year alone, violence and insecurity in the country has forced more than 570,000 people to flee.
There will still be a humanitarian crisis with people in desperate need for assistance, which is why they need us- governments, humanitarian organizations like USA for UNHCR, and ordinary citizens like you and me- to stay the course and do what we can to help.
USA for UNHCR has shared some facts with us, and there’s no way around it: they’re hard to swallow.
Around 3.5 million people have already been displaced by violence within the country – more than half a million (600,000) since the start of this year. Most have no regular channels through which to seek safety.
Some 80 percent of these newly displaced are women and children.
Evacuation flights from Kabul ended on August 30th, but the needs in Afghanistan remain enormous with half the population requiring humanitarian assistance. Their priority needs remain shelter, non-food items, livelihoods and cash assistance according to the most recent inter-agency assessments.
USA for UNHCR has continued its humanitarian response by providing support for those in need, so far to over 332,000 newly internally displaced persons in 2021, including over 115,000 between August 1st and September 7th, 2021.
They explain that, “In recent months, there has been a striking decline in the security and human rights situation in large parts of Afghanistan. The situation remains uncertain and may change rapidly. The upsurge of violence across the country and the fall of the elected Government may have a serious impact on civilians and cause further displacement.”
Because of the violence and fallout, many Afghans will inevitably need to seek shelter in neighboring countries. As citizens of the world, they must be able to exercise their human right to seek international protection, and for this purpose alone, borders must be kept open for them. It’s imperative that other countries share this humanitarian responsibility in order to bring help to those who need it.
USA for UNHCR goes on to say that, “New arrivals in countries neighboring Afghanistan will join over 2.2 million registered refugees from previous waves of violence and a further 3 million Afghans of varying status including many undocumented persons who have been generously hosted in Iran and Pakistan over the past four decades.” Those numbers are hard for me to take in, and the fact that most of the newly displaced are women and children is heartbreaking.
If you are able to help, please click here to make a donation to USA for UNHCR, who is continuing to help the Afghan people and displaced persons around the world.
Thank you, friends.
PS- further reading on the subject:
(images and info via USA for UNHCR)
