Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Khalil Rahman Haqqani warned that human traffickers would be held accountable.
Talking at an event held to distribute food assistance provided by China to vulnerable people, Haqqani said that the human traffickers are encouraging the Afghan youth to leave the country.
“Listen you all, from now on, if anyone is captured engaging in human trafficking and encouraging people to take others outside the country through illegal ways, they will be treated with legal measures,” he said.
Haqqani admitted that the Afghans are struggling with severe economic conditions and said that the Islamic Emirate is making an all-out effort to tackle the existing crisis.
“We are trying to find jobs for our youth and nation by launching projects for our infrastructure, mineral resources and mines,” he said.
This comes as residents complain over their economic condition.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations stated that another 67 children who were being smuggled by human traffickers and migrants out of the country in border areas between Iran and Afghanistan were detained by Iranian border guards and handed over to Afghan security forces.
Zabiullah Rahmatzadeh, director of immigration at the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, said: “These people were going to Iran from Nimroz via Zahedan; fortunately, we handed them back to their families.”
Numbers provided by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations show that in the last four months more than 70 people, including six women and three children who were about to be taken out of the country by human traffickers, have been rescued by Afghan police forces.
Zahir Farahi, the Interior Ministry’s director of the human trafficking department, said: “They had made fake visas, photo-changed passports, fake passports, and generally fake ID cards for them, and they wanted to get them out illegally either through the air or across open borders.”
Members of the Afghan government’s High Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants held a conference on Monday to discuss the US State Department’s recent report on human trafficking.
“We call on the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation to provide more aid with the people,” said Shams Rahman, a resident of Kabul.
After the recent changes in the country, the Afghan economy continues to face collapse, with millions of people at risk of starvation.
