The collapse of the republic and the Taliban’s return to power brought widespread changes and difficulties to the lives of millions of Afghan citizens. Among those forced to leave the country were many women social activists, human rights defenders, journalists, former government employees and families who fled Afghanistan because of security threats and fears of retaliation.
For many of these women, migration did not mean the beginning of a peaceful and secure life. Instead, it marked the start of a period of uncertainty, economic hardship, social restrictions and concerns about the future. Several Afghan migrant women now living in Iran say that although they were forced to leave Afghanistan to protect themselves and their families, they continue to face residency, economic and social difficulties in their host country. They say these challenges have made their daily lives difficult and placed significant psychological pressure on them.
Lack of residency documents is one of the main challenges facing Afghan migrants in Iran. Without legal documentation, their access to employment, education and some services is restricted. Combined with economic pressure, fears of arrest and deportation, and discriminatory treatment, this has increased their sense of insecurity and instability.
Farida Mohibi is one of the Afghan migrant women. Before leaving Afghanistan, she worked as a gender specialist in one of the provinces. However, she was forced to leave the country after security threats increased and now lives in Iran with her two children. Farida says migration not only cost her, her job and social standing, but also left her facing an uncertain future.
“When I entered Iran, I felt that a person who had an identity, a job, a social position and a clear future in Afghanistan had become a displaced person deprived of the most basic rights of life. After migrating, all the years I spent working hard in Afghanistan went to waste,” she says.
Farida identifies the lack of legal documents as one of her biggest challenges. She says the absence of residency status has made it difficult for her to find work, increasing the economic pressure on her family. “My biggest challenge in Iran is not having legal documents. Because I do not have a residence permit, people will not give me a job. The cost of living, rising prices, fear of the police and the uncertain future for myself and my children have completely exhausted me. Sometimes a person can endure hunger and hardship, but uncertainty and a future left hanging in the air are deeply painful,” she says.
Alongside economic and residency problems, discriminatory treatment is another part of the experience of Afghan migrant women in Iran. Farida says different treatment of Afghan migrants has increased feelings of worthlessness and alienation among them.
“As soon as they realize that we are Afghan, their behavior completely changes. In my view, one of the most painful parts of being a migrant is that here, people do not see you as a human being. They only see you as an Afghan, a worker and a migrant,” she says.
These conditions have meant that for Farida, migration is not simply about leaving Afghanistan. It has become an experience marked by anxiety, worry and psychological pressure. She says the uncertainty surrounding her life, concerns about her children and inability to build a clear future have also affected her mental well-being.
“I think every day about what will happen to the future of my children and me. How long do we have to continue living like this? Every day, when I see my children growing up and unable to study, I suffer thinking about what their future will be. Why should we be deprived of an ordinary life? What is the fault of these children? What will happen to my daughter’s future? Thousands of other questions occupy my mind every day,” she adds.
Farida also speaks about her children’s future and her emotional state: “My fear is that my life will continue in this instability for years and that my children will be deprived of opportunities for education, progress and building their future. Thinking about these circumstances has made me deeply depressed. I feel that every day I become more depressed than the day before. This depression has not only affected my mental state, but has also left my body exhausted and unwell.”
Farida’s experience is not the story of just one migrant woman. Many Afghan women who were forced to migrate following the country’s political and security changes face similar difficulties. They had jobs, social positions and professional responsibilities in Afghanistan, but after migration, many lost these opportunities and now face restrictions even in meeting their most basic needs.
Noor Sadaf Jahan Qarizadeh is another Afghan migrant woman. Before the Taliban returned to power, she worked as the head of a women’s support center in Parwan province. She had spent years supporting victims of violence against women but was forced to leave Afghanistan following security threats. She now lives in Iran as the head of a seven-member household.
“I worked on cases involving victims of violence for 10 years and advocated for them, but now I am living in very difficult conditions in Iran without any resources. My colleagues and I were forced to leave Afghanistan and come to Iran because of security threats and fears of being arrested and tortured by the Taliban,” she says.
Noor Sadaf says she expected that after leaving Afghanistan, she would at least be able to live in a safe environment. However, the lack of clear residency status and limited access to basic services have created serious difficulties for her and her family.
“Women’s rights and human rights activists here also receive no support or resources. One of our main problems is not having residence permits and legal documents. When we go to the immigration office, our cases are not addressed, and no assistance is provided by organizations either. For now, I am left without a clear future in Iran, and this uncertainty has placed the greatest pressure on me and taken away my peace of mind,” she says.
For Noor Sadaf, the experience of migration is also tied to fears of deportation and discriminatory treatment. She says that during periods when pressure to deport Afghan migrants increased, many families struggled even to find shelter.
“During last year’s campaign to deport Afghans, even local residents would point out migrants’ homes to the authorities and say they were Afghan and should be removed. No one was willing to rent a house to migrants. This situation continued for about two months and was very painful for me,” she says.
These pressures have also affected Noor Sadaf’s social and professional life. A woman who spent years defending the rights of others now finds herself in circumstances where she cannot continue her work or build a better future for her family.
“Migration has paralyzed every aspect of my life. I have no right to work, no right to study and no opportunity to continue my activities. My days and nights are filled with suffering. These restrictions have exhausted me, and I feel like a prisoner. I am alive, but I am not living,” she says.
The stories of these women show that forced migration has not meant the end of difficulties for many Afghan citizens. Those who were forced to leave the country because of war, insecurity, security threats and political developments continue to face challenges in their host countries that affect different aspects of their lives.
Among Afghan migrants, social activists, journalists, human rights defenders and former government employees are among the groups facing greater security concerns because of their previous activities. At the same time, the lack of stable residency status, difficulties accessing employment and education, economic pressure and fears of deportation have left them in a state of uncertainty.
For many of these families, the hardest part of migration is not only poverty and economic hardship, but also the lack of security and a clear future. They do not know how long they will be able to remain in the host country, whether their children will be able to continue their education, or whether they themselves will be able to return to their professional and social lives.
For many of these women, migration has become a life shaped by fear, waiting and uncertainty, in which the past in Afghanistan has been lost, the present in the host country is marked by restrictions, and the future remains uncertain.
