In the chaotic conditions following the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, many children were separated from their families and hundreds were evacuated from the unaccompanied country, the UN said on Tuesday.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said they and their partners have registered about 300 children who have been evacuated from unaccompanied Afghanistan since 14 August.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrieta Fora predicted that this number would increase further as the identification of evacuees continued.
UNICEF said many children were separated from their families when thousands of people went to Kabul airport in hopes of leaving the country before the last US troops left Afghanistan in late August.
In recent days, U.S. evacuation operations have flown more than 123,000 people by air from Kabul Airport, including U.S. citizens, interpreters, and other people who supported the U.S. mission.
UNICEF reported that some of the children who lost their families were transported by plane to Germany, Qatar and other countries.
“I can only imagine how frightened these children were when they were suddenly left without their families, the crisis escalated at the airport or they were boarded on evacuation flights,” Fora said.
“It is important that they are quickly identified and remain safe during the family search and reunification process,” Fora said.
UNICEF is currently providing technical support to governments that host evacuated children, helping to register unaccompanied children, locate their families and try to reunite them.
UNICEF stated that these children should be accommodated with relatives, if found, or in a family environment, and should only be placed in social institutions if there are no other options.
The Forum called on all countries where these children may have relatives to support the process of family reunification and safe migration routes for these children, if this is in the best interests of the child.
Children traveling with a trusted adult should also be left in the person’s care, Fora said.
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