Kabul: About one child is returning to Afghanistan from Iran or Pakistan every 30 seconds, on average, at a time when nearly half the Afghan population already requires assistance, according to an analysis by Save the Children. Afghanistan is grappling with a new migration crisis four years after the Taliban’s return to power triggered a mass exodus of Afghans to neighboring countries.
According to Save the Children, an analysis of International Organization for Migration (IOM) data found more than 800,000 children have crossed into Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan this year, with about three out of four children returning from Iran. This is double last year’s total when both countries set deadlines for undocumented migrants and refugees to leave.
Omid, a returning child, shared his experience, saying, “I was at the madrasa (a religious school) when my father rushed in and said we had to leave. We packed fast and got in a big truck with others. It was hot. We had no food or water. I want us to find a house, go to school, and live a good life again. I want to feel safe and make something of myself.”
Omid’s father, Feroz, expressed their hardships, stating that the family left Pakistan with empty hands and broken hearts and currently does not have a home, a job, or any way to support his family. “We Afghans are always on the move. But I did not want this life for my children. We lost our home, our books, even our family photos. We only took what we could carry, mostly clothes and important documents. The rest, we had to leave. It was like fleeing a fire.”
Even before the surge of people returning to Afghanistan, nearly half the population required humanitarian assistance, and one in five children was facing crisis levels of hunger. Afghanistan is also struggling with mass internal displacement, with many children forced from their homes due to climate-fueled events. Severe drought in Afghanistan’s northern provinces is leading to crops withering and dwindling water supplies for people and their livestock.
Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director at Save the Children in Afghanistan, highlighted the urgency of the situation: “The scale and pace of people returning to Afghanistan right now is completely unprecedented. We are on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian crisis like we’ve never seen before. About every 30 seconds, one child returns or has been forced to return to Afghanistan. That is the equivalent of about a classroom full of children every 15 minutes. Many of these children are exhausted, terrified, and unsure how they will survive in a country already grappling with severe hunger and poverty over the past four years. Thousands of children are returning alone, without family or access to basic services.”
The fallout from massive aid cuts this year has left humanitarian teams overwhelmed by the sheer volume of need. The crisis is severely under-resourced, underfunded, and overlooked, placing children in a particularly vulnerable position. With increasing strain on resources, Afghanistan faces heightened challenges in providing essential services, particularly for vulnerable populations like returnees, host communities, and children.
Save the Children is calling on countries in the region to ensure that returns to Afghanistan are voluntary, safe, and dignified. Forcing or pressuring children to return, especially those without guardians, can heighten their risk of exploitation, abuse, and neglect. The child rights organization also urges the international community to urgently increase funding to meet both critical needs at the border upon arrival and provide longer-term assistance to help returnees settle in Afghanistan.
Since March, Save the Children in Afghanistan has supported more than 150,000 children who have returned to Afghanistan. The organization’s response is being expanded to include a health and nutrition clinic and multi-purpose cash assistance at the border, child protection services at the transit center, and health services.