ISLAMABAD (AP) — A quarter of a million Afghan children need education, food and homes after being forcibly returned from Pakistan, a nongovernmental organization said Thursday.
Pakistan is cracking down on foreigners it alleges are in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans. It insists the campaign is not directed against Afghans specifically, but they make up most of the foreigners in the country.
More than 520,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since last October.
Save the Children said families are entering Afghanistan with “virtually nothing” and that nearly half of all returnees are children.
A survey of families by the NGO said nearly all of them lacked enough food for the next one to two months. Some returnees and host families had to borrow money for food or rely on friends and relatives for food.
Almost two thirds of children who have returned to Afghanistan have not been enrolled in school, according to Save the Children. The majority told the organization they don’t have the necessary documents to register and enroll in school. In Pakistan, more than two-thirds of these children had been attending school, it said.
Man fleeing cops in western Michigan dies after unmarked cruiser hits him
China Sees Wider High School Education Coverage
China Tops the World in Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
Children Experience Agrarian Culture in Central China's Hunan
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are OVERPAID at $75k
School in Hangzhou Greets International Tea Day
China Beats Turkey in Women's Volleyball Nations League
Hong Kong Palace Museum Holds Opening Ceremony
FIFA plans to add slew of new committees years after cutting them in anti
Women share the infuriating behaviour that made them start to rethink their relationships
Hong Kong, China hold Turkmenistan in FIFA World Cup qualifier