KABUL, Afghanistan—Children of Afghan families returning from Pakistan who don’t go to school and have no access to education are increasingly at risk of early marriage and child labor, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
The survey by Save the Children reveals an alarming crisis in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province where the polling took place among returnees from Pakistan. It warns the situation could deteriorate further as more than 3,500 Afghans return from Pakistan on a daily basis after Islamabad tightened regulations on those living illegally in the country.
So far this year, more than 650,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan, with the majority planning to stay in Nangarhar, at least until the end of winter. Hundreds of thousands more Afghans are expected to be repatriated in the coming months.
The survey is based on 379 interviewees conducted by Save the Children between Oct. 28 and Nov. 8 in five districts in Nangarhar. The poll gave a 5 percent margin of error.
Among the returnees, many have no money and lack any sort of documents or ID papers. Parents facing poverty often feel the only stable choice they can make is to arrange a marriage for their child or to bring the children into the workforce, the survey found.
“We are really concerned about the risks that are threatening the children and the future of the children if the situation continues,” said Bahirullah Wyaar, an adviser at Save the Children in Kabul. “If the children, especially the girls, do not have access to education, it puts them at the risk of early marriages.”
Also, many of the poorest of the poor have no resources, which may “force the children to work on the streets,” Wyaar added.
