Geneva: Many children are separated from their families in the midst of chaotic conditions in Afghanistan after the Taliban swept power, and hundreds were evacuated without being accompanied by the country, the United Nations said Tuesday.
The UN Children’s body UNICEF said that and his partners had registered around 300 children who were not accompanied and separated were evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14.
“We expect this amount to rise through an ongoing identification effort,” said Head of Henrietta who voiced in a statement, voicing concern for their welfare and security.
The agency said that many children were separated from their families because tens of thousands of people flocked to Kabul airport in a desperate effort to leave the country before US troops completely retreated at the end of August.
The United States in the last days ended with more than 123,000 people from Kabul Airport including US citizens and translators and other people who supported the US mission and qualified for special visas to immigrate.
Some separate children have been evacuated flights to Germany, Qatar and other countries, said UNICEF.
“I can only imagine how fear of these children suddenly would find themselves without their families because the crisis at the airport opened or when they were taken away on evacuation flights,” they said.
He showed that separate children were “among the most vulnerable children in the world.” “It is very important that they are quickly identified and remain safe during the family search process and reunification,” he said, emphasizing that “all parties must prioritize the best interests of the child and protect children from harassment, negligence and violence.” UNICEF currently provides technical support to the government that holds children evacuated, and helps register those who are not accompanied, track their families and work to reunite them.
The UN agency emphasizes the importance of providing all separate or not accompanied children with “safe alternative care” while the efforts are ongoing.
Children should be placed with extensive family members or in family-based settings, while institutional care must be the last choice and only temporary, he said.
In the future, urging all countries where children who are not accompanied may have family members to “facilitate releasing and safe, legal migration pathways for these children if it is in the best interests of the child.” Children traveling with trusted adults must also be in many cases allowed to remain with them, he said.