The war in Afghanistan is raging on and the future will likely see even more children forced to flee their homes and embark on a dangerous journey in the hope of safety elsewhere.
ADVERTISEMENTThere are currently over 70.8 million refugees worldwide, according to newly released figures from the United Nations.
At least 67% of the world's refugees come from just five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia. Frighteningly, half of the total, global refugee population are children. As many as 138,600 of migrants aged under 18 are unaccompanied.
As fighting continues to ravage the country, over 2.7 million refugees have fled Afghanistan in hope of security in Europe and neighbouring countries. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, recently reported that the world's developing countries are accommodating the highest number of refugees.
Local media in Pakistan reported that 24.3% of the population live below the poverty line — despite this, the country hosts the largest number (1.4 million) of the Afghan refugee population. Iran is accommodating the second largest number, hosting 951,100 people.
Meanwhile, countries in developed regions host just 16% of the world's refugees.
Many countries in Europe are deporting refugees back to Afghanistan, a country consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous in the world.
Many have criticised Europe's handling of the crisis, arguing that developing countries do not have the infrastructure nor financial means to support the number of refugees they host.
The war in Afghanistan is raging on and the country's already alarming poverty rates are expected to increase further. The future will likely see even more Afghan children forced to flee their homes and embark on a dangerous journey in the hope of safety elsewhere.
