Attachments
This Gender Alert was developed by the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group (GiHA WG) in Afghanistan. The document is based on reports, and updates from IOM and humanitarian actors, Gil-IA WG members, and women's organizations in the Southern and Eastern regions of Afghanistan. The information was complemented with data collected during three focus group discussions (FGDs) as well as additional interviews conducted with affected women and girls in the Torkham and Spin Boldak border areas and in areas of return in Eastern region.
Background
In the last two months, since Pakistani authorities ordered all undocumented foreigners to leave the country, more than 428,000 Afghans have returned through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings. 80% are women and children, 48% are women and girls, and 13% are women heads of households. While returnees are still entering Afghanistan, many returnees have already made their way to their areas of return and resettled mainly in Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar, Kabul, and Kunduz. As winter approaches, conditions at the borders worsen with thousands of returnees sleeping under extreme temperatures, with insufficient shelter and WASH facilities, lack of clean water and a surge in health concerns linked to these conditions. For those who have moved to areas of return, they also face precarious, uncertain conditions, including a dire economic scenario, lack of livelihood opportunities and mental health struggles. This alert provides information on the immediate and medium-term gendered needs of women and girls and men and boys, including in terms of shelter, protection services, psychosocial support and access to livelihood opportunities.