"We Want A Future" Afghan Refugee Women, Children Protest Outside UNHCR Office

Hundreds of Afghan refugees in India have been protesting outside United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees ( UNHCR) office since Monday morning in Delhi. They are demanding their rights as refugees in the country for years now. Now that the Taliban has control over their country, what are the options for them? As per data, around 22,000 Afghan nationals are living in Delhi. SheThePeople spoke to several young people present here and spoke to them about the difficulties they are facing, what it means to be an Afghan national in India and know more about their demands from the UNHCR.

"The world knows what is going in Afghanistan but they have little idea about what the Afghan refugees are going through in India. The UNHCR has turned a blind eye towards us for years now. People are not given refugee cards, they are not given basic amenities to start their life in India. Our people are being harassed by homeowners for rent but how are we supposed to pay them with no money?" Anis Parwan, a member of Afghanistan Solidarity Committee told SheThePeople. The Afghanistan Solidarity Committee members have been trying to meet with Oscar Mundia, UNHCR chief for India, but he is often out of Delhi or just not available for meetings they alleged. However, the UNHCR spokesperson told us that the refugees have not made a request to meet Mundia yet.

As per the protestors, many Afghan nationals were getting monthly allowances from their families in Afghanistan. After the Taliban took over the country, that source of income has also closed. Many refugees in India are made to wait for years until they can receive a permanent refugee card and even with that, it is hard to get employed in the national capital.

Temporary Vs Permanent Refugee Card:

When foreign nationals come to India as refugees, their case is under trial at the UNHCR. The agency listening to their individual stories, decides whether they can stay in India as a resident or not. Since many such trials take years to conclude, the refugees are given a temporary card so that they can find accommodation in India. After the case concludes, they are either given the permanent resident card or are deported back to their country.

The Afghan nationals claimed that the permanent card cannot even get them a SIM card under their name, let alone employment. To get opportunities as Indian nationals, foreign nationals are asked to give up their refugee status. Most of them don't want to do that as they hope to resettle in some other country in the future.

The Afghan nationals claimed that the permanent card cannot even get them a SIM card under their name, let alone employment.

Plight of Single Mothers:

"I have shown my refugee card to hundreds of employers but they don't know what it means. They are not even bothered to know, " said Suraiya Akbari, a single mother of a 25-year-old.

As we talked outside the refugee commissioner office, little kids grabbed the microphone and demanded, "We want a future."

"Ye kis matlab ki zindagi hai? (what is this life) We came here to stay safe from the Taliban 10 years ago and since then we have been fighting a different kind of war here. My daughter never got a proper education she is now working at a dentist clinic and gets paid only five thousand a month. I don't know if she will ever get married, " Suraiya Akbari said.

Akbari raised her voice to make herself heard amidst the sloganeering, "This is not justice, this is torture".

Ye kis matlab ki zindagi hai? (what is this life) We came here to stay safe from the Taliban 10 years ago and since then we have been fighting a different kind of war here.

There have been cases when the UNHCR observed a family's case for four years and more and then rejected them. When a refugee gets rejected by the UNHCR, they are sent back to Afghanistan after furnishing a handsome fine amount to Indian police officers.

Another single mother talked about how her elder son is stuck in Afghanistan running away from the Taliban while her younger son in India is out of school. She got a month late in applying for the stay visa and was asked for a fine Rs 30,000. After losing her job as a translator for Afghan medical tourists, Fawzia is unable to pay the fine amount.

Afganistani nationals Protest In Delhi

Afghan Refugees In India:

Afghanistan Solidarity Committee Deputy head Shahad told us that about 22,000 Afghan nationals are living in Delhi and over 12,000 of them do not have refugee cards. As per a report of 2019, the U.N refugee agency has registered nearly 40,000 refugees in India. A family was rejected by UNHCR recently before the Taliban captured Afghanistan and they were asked to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for each member of their family before being deported to Afghanistan. They are still in India without any source of livelihood.

Shahad claimed that the refugees and the asylum seekers from Afghanistan are both met with similar treatment. Most have to pay frequent visits to UNHCR office and police stations to keep getting their temporary refugee cards stamped.

Afghanistan Solidarity Committee Deputy head Shahad told us that about 22,000 Afghan nationals are living in Delhi and over 12,000 of them do not have refugee cards.

"If they can't resettle us here in India then why can't they let us have the support letter so that we can seek help from American, Canadian and German embassies who are willing to take us in? Does the UNHCR want us to stay here like prisoners? "Anis Parwan asked.

The Afghan children have now become adults with few job opportunities. Twenty-three-year-old, Almas Rehmani was supposed to build a life for herself but she can't because she has no work permit even after staying in India for the past four years. She is still getting her temporary refugee card stamped from time to time. There are seven people in her family and all of them are dependent on her mother's meagre income which she earns working at an Afghani restaurant.

"I did my schooling from a UNHCR school like my siblings are doing right now but I have barely learnt anything. There is no future with the syllabus they teach there," Almas claims.

What are their Options?

When I asked Almas if the Afghan nationals are going to continue with the protest at the UNHCR office, she said, "It is not like we have any other option."

The UNHCR officials did not give their response immediately. A police inspector stationed outside the Vasant Vihar office said, "They can keep protesting but these things take time. Their demands are likely to be discussed in high-level meetings and who knows when will they come up with a decision. It is not a day-long process."

After this article published, UNHCR's assistant external relations officer, Kiri Atri, responded with the official notice which said, "Resettlement is the transfer of refugees from an asylum country (i.e. not from within Afghanistan) to another State that has agreed to admit them and ultimately grant them permanent residence."

"This process depends on a series of interviews, checks and clearances by resettlement countries which take time, often up to several years. Less than 1% of refugees are currently resettled globally, due to the limited number of places. For this reason, only the most vulnerable refugees are able to be prioritized for resettlement."

On being asked about the Afghan nationals rights as refugees in India, the UNHCR officer stated that they are willing to reopen cases of refugees seeking to get residence in India. Atri said that refugees getting work permit in India is a matter that the Union Ministry of External Affairs has to decide on.

The statement added, "We are upscaling our support to Afghan refugees and asylum- seekers, through registration and documentation for assistance, prioritizing very vulnerable individuals. The programme for registered vulnerable individuals includes food, cash assistance, education, and psychosocial assistance programmes."