The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is “one of the worst in the world”, the Tánaiste has said as he announced that Ireland will welcome 50 Afghan refugees in both 2024 and 2025.
Wednesday marked the third anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power which has seen abuses of human, civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights.
As the Taliban celebrated its reign in Afghanistan with parades, Micheál Martin condemned the “gross human rights abuses” and called for the full reversal of its “discriminatory and draconian” decrees.
“Under the Taliban’s control, we have witnessed extrajudicial killings, public executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions become everyday threats for the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
While Ireland continues to work with partners on the ground in Afghanistan, Mr Martin confirmed that Ireland will provide refuge to 50 Afghan refugees for both 2024 and 2025 through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).
The 50 people will be selected using objective criteria such as including a selection of women who have exposed themselves to particular risk through their commitment to women’s and human rights or their work in the spheres of justice, politics, media, education, sport or culture and are thus vulnerable.
Women and girls have suffered greatly since the Taliban took back control following the US exit from the country. They have lost their basic rights to education, employment, freedom of movement and access to services.
Mr Martin said sustainable peace and a flourishing society are only possible when women are included and human rights are upheld. To date, the Taliban has enacted 70 decrees and directives to restrict women’s basic rights and fundamental freedoms.
The edicts include removing their right to education beyond the sixth grade, public floggings and stoning of women found committing adultery, vastly reduced salaries for civil servants below the level of basic sustenance, and the total exclusion of women from decision-making processes.
In response to the crisis in August 2021, the IRPP made around 650 refugee places available for humanitarian cases from Afghanistan with priority given to human rights defenders, activists, journalists, judges, and those most at risk from the Taliban takeover.
Mr Martin noted that a number of ethnic and religious minorities such as the Hazra people have been facing “horrendous human rights abuses” under the current regime.
According to the Department of Integration, IRPP resources are currently at capacity in terms of accommodation and pressures from ongoing commitments from other strands of the resettlement programme.
This year alone 23.7 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance, the Tánaiste noted. “Today’s tragic anniversary provides us an opportunity to spotlight the ongoing suffering and abuse being experienced by the Afghan people,” Mr Martin said.