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WHO WE AREIOM is the leading inter-governmental organization promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, with presence in over 100 countries. IOM has had a presence in Afghanistan since 1992.
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Herat — At the IOM Reception Center in Islam Qala, Farhad* sat quietly, holding a bowl of warm food. For the first time in months, he was not running, was not hungry, and could finally take a moment to breathe.
“My journey began in Faryab province,” he shared. “Because of my disability, I could not find work.” Farhad’s struggles intensified after his brother, the family’s main breadwinner, was paralyzed in a workplace accident in Iran. With a family of ten relying on him, Farhad borrowed AFN 16,000 (approximately USD 238) to pay a smuggler and embark on a dangerous journey to Iran in hopes of finding work.
“Every night of that eight-day journey, I thought about my family. I told myself I had to survive for them,” Farhad recalled. The smuggler’s route was fraught with danger—exposure to the elements, near-death escapes, and the constant fear of capture.
Farhad ultimately made it to Iran and found work as a security guard but earned barely enough to survive. His situation worsened when his employer withheld most of his wages, a common issue faced by undocumented migrants. After confronting his employer about the unpaid wages, the situation escalated to a dispute between them. A few days later, the police raided his workplace and detained him, and Farhad suspects his employer reported him. “Two nights in the detention camp felt like an eternity,” he said. “I was starving and filled with despair.”
In January 2025, Farhad was forcibly returned to Afghanistan, arriving at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reception center in Islam Qala, where forcibly and voluntarily returned Afghan migrants receive screening for vulnerabilities and are provided with refreshments and hot meals before being transported to IOM transit centers.
Upon arrival at the transit centre, migrants receive additional support from IOM and partners, including overnight accommodation, food and health care. Vulnerable undocumented returnees, like Farhad, also receive specialized protection support.
“That night, for the first time in what felt like forever, I slept in a warm room with a full belly. I thought maybe this was all a dream,” Farhad recalled.
For Farhad, the future in Afghanistan remains uncertain. But as he stepped out of the transit center, he carried something he had not felt in a long time—hope and the determination to start over and build a better life.
The number of returnees from Iran remains consistently high. From January to December 2024, IOM recorded more than 1.2 million returnees, with 67 percent of them forcibly returned.
During the same period, IOM assisted more than 324,000 returning Afghan migrants, including specialized protection for more than 24,700 returnees like Farhad, made possible through funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
*Name changed to protect his identity.
This story was written by Zuhal Nabi and Marjan Wafa, and edited by Avand Azeez Agha.
For more information, please contact: iomafghanistanmediacomm@iom.int