Human Wrongs Watch
By the International Organization for Migration (IOM)*
Herat, Afghanistan, 12 September 2025 – At the Islam Qala border, the wind never rests. Dust stings the eyes and clings to skin as the 40–degree heat turns the ground into a furnace.
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As night falls, a mother holds her son’s hand as they walk past the truck that brought them from Islam Qala to IOM’s transit centre. Photo: IOM 2025/Mohammad Osman Azizi
Families squeeze into slivers of shade, children beside them shielding their faces with scarves as they wait for assistance. For many, this harsh landscape is their first glimpse of home after years away.
Since September 2023, more than four million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan – over 1.5 million in 2025 alone.
At the same time, according to data collected by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly 350,000 Afghans were displaced within the first four months of the year.
This includes both internal displacement and cross-border migration to neighboring countries, largely driven by worsening economic conditions and the growing impact of climate change.
In Iran, Afghans were not just temporary workers – they kept businesses alive. They filled construction sites, greenhouses, and factories, becoming essential to the country’s economy.
Now their absence leaves gaps in Iran’s labour force, and for those coming back, Afghanistan offers far less certainty.
Families who once had some stability in Iran now find themselves with no work, no shelter, and no support.
“Now I have nothing – no job, no home, and no one to turn to,” says Maryam, a widow with two children, who had lived in Iran for six years says.
Although she suffers from kidney problems, what hurts more is watching her 15-year-old son, Sadeq, roam the streets searching for work instead of sitting in a classroom.
He keeps his dream of going to school to himself so his mother will not worry. For Maryam, that unspoken dream is heavier than any illness.
Zainab once worked in Iranian greenhouses but could not enroll her children in school there. “I’m so tired of moving,” she says. “All we want is a place to live and work, so our children can finally have a future.”
Fraidoon left Afghanistan after failing to find work despite holding a degree. In Iran, he worked in a cardboard factory until regional tensions made life unbearable. “If I can just find a job here, I will never think of leaving again,” he says.
Some return not only unemployed but also injured, making survival even harder.
Manzar Shah, a father of eight from Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan, worked in a cleaning factory and flour mill in Iran until a fall from the third floor left him seriously injured.
“All I want is food and a home for my children,” he says. “I can manage to feed them, but without a house, I feel myself sinking deeper into despair.” In his village, winter snow can reach two metres and shelter is essential for survival.
Manzar Shah, 45, a father of eight, waits with his family at IOM’s transit centre in Herat after arriving from Iran. Photo: IOM 2025/Mohammad Osman Azizi
Mohammad lived in Iran for 11 years before a workplace accident changed everything. “I was repairing an elevator on the sixth floor when the cables snapped. I was in a coma for over a year,” he recalls.
His recovery was long, but his wife never left his side. “I thought everyone would abandon me, but she stayed. She gave me hope,” he says. “Now I just need a job and a chance to study again.”
For him, a single opportunity could mean the difference between rebuilding his future here or being forced to leave once more.
Others carry the emotional burden of separation on top of economic hardship.
Noor Ahmad spent 26 years in Iran, where he ran a small shop. After losing his father, he turned to crystal healing, an alternative therapy he believes can restore mind and body balance through the energy of stones.
“Now I have nothing – no tools, no stones, no place to live,” he says.
Shabnam returned after eight years in Iran. “It’s harder when you don’t have family here,” she says. “My husband can’t find work and I’m not allowed to study or work because of restrictions on women. I don’t know what future my daughter will have.”
According to the World Bank’s 2025 Development Update, Afghanistan’s economy remains fragile. The return of so many Afghans has deepened unemployment.
By 2030, an estimated 1.7 million more young people will enter an already saturated labour market. Without investment in skills, enterprise and job creation, many may once again be forced to leave.
Since 2024, IOM has provided skills training to almost 3,000 returnees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable host community members.
The Organization has also supported more than 2,600 businesses, 22 per cent of which are women-owned, helping to create nearly 12,000 jobs, including over 4,200 for women. These life-changing efforts bring stability and dignity, but much more is needed.
With greater funding, IOM can provide stability, reduce the risk of repeated migration, and help returnees rebuild their lives with dignity.
At the Islam Qala border, a woman takes her first steps off the bus onto Afghan soil. Photo: IOM 2025/Mohammad Osman Azizi
This story was written by Mohammad Osman Azizi, Communication Associate with IOM Afghanistan.
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Baher Kamal
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