ICHG Position Statement - Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis

18th August 2021

Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said “Afghanistan continues to be one of the most dangerous places to be a child.”[1]

The emerging humanitarian crisis presents tremendous risks to the health and wellbeing of children and young people. 18.8 million (59%) of the country’s estimated 32.2 million people are aged between 0 - 18, with 5.6 million under five.[2] Tragically, hundreds have already been killed or injured. Whilst a cessation of active armed conflict is welcome, the humanitarian situation risks escalating, particularly due to displacement of communities and reduced access to food, water, shelter and healthcare. During the first half of 2020, 1,067 child casualties were reported, with more than half attributable to the conflict, particularly indirect fire in civilian settings. This has occurred against a backdrop of decades of conflict in Afghanistan, with the continued presence of explosive remnants of war (ERWs) remaining a significant threat to the health of children.[2]

Even before the recent weeks of escalating conflict half of the population of Afghanistan were in need of aid according to the United Nations (UN), with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and regional drought exacerbating existing challenges.[3] Healthcare needs are especially acute. Only 46% of children aged between 12-23 months have received their basic vaccines and nearly 600,000 children were at risk of severe acute malnutrition in 2020.[4] Adolescents, who comprise a quarter of the Afghan population, face tremendous hurdles in meeting their sexual and reproductive health needs, a prospect which may worsen with the uncertainty ahead.

Aid personnel have reported that urban encampments are forming in Kabul, with food, water, and healthcare among the most urgent priorities for the internally displaced - many of whom are women and young children. While a number of humanitarian agencies have remained to offer critical support, more funding and support is needed. In July, the UN reported that a $1.3bn USD funding appeal for Afghanistan fell short of funding by more than 60%, signifying how vital increased aid would be.[5]

Now is not the  time to turn our backs on the children of Afghanistan. Both an increase in aid funding and mechanisms for safe refugee passage are urgently needed. While most Afghan nationals currently eligible for UK relocation have worked for the UK government in frontline roles "that made a material difference to the delivery of the UK mission", we urge the UK government to plan compassionately and boldly towards meeting its obligations towards children and families both within Afghanistan and to those seeking refuge beyond.[6] Domestic legislation should therefore seek to support and not undermine international cooperation for refugee resettlement. Two-tier asylum systems and the risk of expulsions do not work in the interests of vulnerable children and their families. We urge the UK government to take the necessary action needed to minimise harm and prioritise the protection of Afghan children.

We call on the UK Government to:

  • Advocate for safe routes to seek asylum for refugees and support countries neighbouring Afghanistan with financial support.

  • Give children a place of safety, expand legal refugee routes and establish a UK resettlement scheme for Afghan children and families.

  • Restore overall humanitarian aid spending as part of the UK aid budget including reversal of cuts to Afghanistan and to other humanitarian crises, and increase funding to meet the additional and specific needs of children and families.

  • Show leadership by upholding the founding principles of the 1951 Refugee convention by abandoning the proposed Nationality and Borders bill.

  • Cooperate with the international community to work with the Taliban to ensure the rights of children are upheld as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as ratified by Afghanistan in 1994.

We call on the Taliban to:

  • Uphold children's rights as enshrined in the UNCRC.

  • Cooperate with humanitarian aid agencies in meeting the health and wellbeing needs of Afghan children.

References

[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097902

[2] https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/10551/file/Afghanistan.pdf

[3] https://www.devex.com/news/aid-groups-shift-to-emergency-response-as-us-leaves-afghanistan-100605

[4] https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/situation-children-and-women-afghanistan

[5] https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095922

[6] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58238490