On Wednesday, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) published a report which claimed that only 271 that is 0.1 percent of 2,70,000 Afghans who have been identified to be in need of permanent protection were given refuge in the region in 2022.
The International Rescue Committee, a leading charity has imposed allegations on EU authorities of staggering neglect of Afghan refugees. IRC also stated that many asylum seekers are trapped and living in prison-like conditions on Greek islands.
According to a devastating analysis by the International Rescue Committee, EU member states have “consistently” failed to fulfill their promises under resettlement agreements, leaving many Afghans who do cross EU borders to seek asylum “vulnerable” once more.
As per the IRC, Afghans are known to be the third largest refugee population in the world. Furthermore added that even after nearly two years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan several Afghans still don’t have ways to safety in Europe.
The possibility of forceful returns or pushbacks, obstacles to fair asylum procedures, and prolonged stays in facilities resembling detention centers were all listed as “significant hurdles” in the report which are commonly faced by Afghan refugees in Europe.
Image Credit: AFP
The report also mentioned Germany’s role as the forefront member of the EU’s efforts to welcome Afghans since the Taliban’s takeover and expressed concerns about its ongoing program to accept Afghan refugees.
The German government introduced a federal admission program in October of last year, promising to accept up to 1,000 Afghans per month until September 2025. However, the IRC reported that as of May 2023, not a single Afghan refugee has entered Germany through the program.
About 41,500 at-risk Afghans were allowed entry to the EU between 2021 and 2022, many of them as a result of impromptu emergency evacuations in August 2021. The IRC reports stated that while the IRC appreciates each of these efforts, this response remains extremely insufficient. According to the report, some nations have not even accepted any Afghans since Kabul fell and the nation was captured by the Taliban.
According to its research, after two years Afghans still lack avenues to safety in the EU, some nations have not even accepted any Afghans since Kabul fell and the nation was captured by the Taliban. It also stated that many people are still trapped in isolated and prison-like conditions in camps on Greek islands, which prevents their acceptance into society at large and destroys their mental health.
Additionally, the authors discovered that in the year leading up to March 2023, 86% of the Afghans assisted by the IRC’s mental health teams in Lesbos and Athens showed signs of despair, and more than 90% of them displayed signs of anxiety.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has gotten worse in the nearly two years since the Taliban regained control in a rapid takeover following the withdrawal of US soldiers. According to an IRC report, almost over two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population requires humanitarian aid.
