Afghans Face Deportation, Oppression Under Taliban Rule

As **Iran** hastens the deportation of approximately four million **Afghans**, women forced to live under the Taliban’s increasingly restrictive regime are expressing despair, facing dire circumstances upon their return.

Mass Returns from Iran

The UN’s migration agency reports that over 250,000 individuals, including numerous unaccompanied women, have returned to **Afghanistan** from **Iran** in the last month. This surge occurred before the deadline imposed by **Iran** for undocumented **Afghans** to leave.

The **Taliban**, in power since 2021, faces accusations of enforcing gender apartheid in **Afghanistan**. Women returning encounter oppressive laws, including bans on showing their faces, speaking publicly, or appearing in public spaces, along with exclusion from most jobs and educational opportunities. Violators risk public flogging.

A Widow’s Story

**Sahar**, 40, traveling with her five children, spoke to *Zan Times* and *The Guardian* at a border crossing in southern **Afghanistan**. The widow, originally from **Baghlan**, had lived in **Iran** for over a decade, running a tailoring workshop. She reports being detained and deported from a refugee camp near **Shiraz** last week.

They came in the middle of the night. I begged them to give me two days to collect my things. But they didn’t listen

—Sahar, Afghan deportee

Increasingly, women are being forcibly returned from **Iran**. According to the **Afghanistan** Migrants Advice & Support Organisation (AMASO), approximately 5,000 refugees return every day from **Iran** and **Pakistan**, with 74% possessing no documentation (AMASO 2024).

Taliban Restrictions

Returning to **Afghanistan** without a male guardian directly violates **Taliban** law, which prohibits women from traveling alone. Many women find themselves stranded at the border, unable to proceed.

Local officials report deaths during the forced crossings due to extreme temperatures reaching 52C. At least 13 bodies arrived in the past two weeks; the cause of death remains unclear.

Those arriving at the border crossings report exhaustion, hunger, and thirst, having walked for hours in the heat, often without belongings or documentation.

**Sahar** recounted how authorities from **Shiraz** to **Zahedan**, near the Afghan border, confiscated their possessions, charging exorbitant prices for basic necessities. “From Shiraz to Zahedan [close to the Afghan border]they took everything from us. My bank card had 15 million tomans (£110). They charged 50,000 tomans for a bottle of water, 100,000 for a cold sandwich. And if you didn’t have it, your child went without,” she said.

The **Taliban** claims to offer shelter and transport to women deported without a *mahram*, but returnees report a lack of assistance. Under **Taliban** policy, single women face restrictions on land ownership, travel, and employment.

Many rely on family or informal networks for support. One woman with a newborn reported being denied food and shelter because she lacked a male guardian. “They told me: ‘You’re not eligible. You don’t have a man with you.’ But my baby is just four days old. Where am I supposed to go?” she said.

While the International Organization for Migration and other groups provide temporary aid, they lack the resources for long-term support.

**Zahra** recounted verbal abuse and bribery demands on buses transporting deportees, adding, “They said it’s a waste for you Afghans. My child cried from the heat, but the driver laughed and mocked us.”