Afghanistan Protection Analysis Update

Many Afghan nationals including refugees and those in refugee like situation (e.g. UNHCR slip holders, asylum seeker certificate holders) have been pushed back from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan, with often little to no resources and face cumulative hardships. These exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the returnee population, impact their coping capacities, and increase their exposure to protection risks. In a shrinking protection environment, returnees struggle to meet their basic rights and to access services and opportunities in Afghanistan. The country is undergoing a complex and multifaceted humanitarian crisis, and the situation is more severe for returnees who lack essential documentation and, particularly women and girls, as their rights and freedoms are stringently constrained. Therefore, the current situation in Afghanistan poses significant concerns for the sustainable reintegration of returnees.

The protection risks specifically impacting returnees requiring immediate attention in the period covered by this analysis are:

1. Discrimination and stigmatization – impediments to access opportunities, services and/or humanitarian access
2. Unlawful impediments and/or restrictions to freedom of movement, and threats of forced eviction
3. Impediments and/or restrictions to access legal identity, remedies and justice
4. Psychological/emotional abuse or inflicted distress