Poverty, lack of opportunities drive illegal immigration in Badakhshan

BADAKHSHAN -- Poverty and a dearth of opportunities for young people in Badakhshan have led to an increase in illegal immigration to Iran and Türkiye, residents and elders in Afghanistan's northernmost province said.

But Afghan youth hopeful of finding better opportunities often fare no better abroad, where some have faced harassment and other forms of abuse.

Poverty, unemployment, hopelessness and lack of support are among the reasons young Afghans are opting to leave, said Ashkasham district resident Naik Muhammad Hussaini, 35.

Many who opt to stay suffer from psychological issues or fall prey to drug use.

"In the past two years, from our district alone, more than 500 people fled to Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye, and some of them even moved their families with them too," he said.

Faced with a heavy influx of illegal immigrants, authorities in Iran and Türkiye have arrested, harassed and even tortured Afghan youth before deporting them, he said.

If employment opportunities were readily available in Afghanistan, Hussaini noted, these young Afghans would not need to put themselves in harm’s way by resorting to illegal immigration to find work.

"Most of these youth are educated, with degrees from well-known universities, but because of their desperate situation, they have to accept hard labor and tolerate painful conditions in the neighbouring countries," he said.

Many of those deported from Iran and Türkiye suffer from psychological distress, said Faizabad city resident Abdul Sattar Naibi, 28.

"Every day, one or two young people try to commit suicide in Badakshan because of poverty, unemployment and hopelessness," he said.

"If the young don't see a future in the country, are not given a chance to serve in the government and cannot find jobs, the number of [them] committing suicide and fleeing from the country will only increase."

"Another segment of our young population has resorted to using narcotics because of unemployment," Naibi said. "When they can't get drugs, they try to steal and commit other crimes."

Difficult conditions in Iran

Faced with insecurity and poverty at home, tens of thousands of Afghans have headed to Iran over the past two years -- among them Faizabad resident Marouf Rezaee, 38, and five of his relatives.

Rezaee and his relatives illegally crossed into Iran in June 2022, he told Salaam Times, but an armed group detained them and put them in a private prison.

"Armed individuals beat us up in the prison ... and they asked for ransom from our families," he said. "They had taken our phones, and they would record videos of our torture on our phone and send them to our families."

The armed group had demanded between $4,000 and $5,000 per person in ransom money, Rezaee said, but after several days, the group was released in exchange for $2,000.

Afghan immigrants in Iran face many dangers, said Faizabad resident Ali Asghar.

When Afghan immigrant workers leave their workplaces, they often are targeted -- by robbers, armed elements and even police -- who exploit their illegal status to extort money from them, the 34-year-old said.

"Armed individuals captured us on June 29 and took us to a house where we also saw a number of other young prisoners," Asghar said.

"We stayed in the prison for 13 days, and one person's leg and another's hand were broken from the torture, because their family didn't have money ... for their release."

Asghar said his brother sent $500 through a currency exchanger for his release.

"They tortured prisoners with a gun barrel and whip and recorded the videos [of their beatings], telling them not to come to Iran ever again," he said.

Job creation critical

Afghan youth are grappling with poverty, joblessness, economic issues, violence and insecurity, said political affairs analyst Sayed Yaseen Nizami, a Badakhshan native who lives in Kabul.

"In recent years, it's unfortunate that thousands of our young people fled the country, and thousands of others became addicted to drugs because of these issues," he told Salaam Times.

"When they need money, they resort to killing, kidnapping, prostitution and other crimes."

"Badakhshan province has more than 520 types of medicinal plants, 105 types of precious stones and hundreds of touristic sites," Nizami pointed out.

If these sites and natural resources are properly developed, he said, they could create "employment opportunities that can help the Afghan people, especially youth in this province, to get rid of all these issues".

The Department of Culture and Information in Badakhshan province is taking illegal immigration and drug addiction seriously, said department director Muezuddin Ahmadi.

The department is making every effort to identify the underlying causes, he said.

"In order to address the problems of the young generation, we have created associations at the district level, through which we have involved young [Afghans] in decisions taken in the district government entities," Ahmadi said.

"This year, the largest gold mines in Ragh and Shahr-e-Buzarg districts of Badakshan have been contracted out," he said. "We try to create jobs for our young [residents] through this sector as well."