On the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have warned that Afghan nationals-including returnees-are increasingly vulnerable

According to AnsarPress, a joint statement issued by the two organizations says that Afghanistan`s overlapping crises-including the large-scale and forced return of migrants from neighboring countries, the lack of alternative livelihoods following the reduction of opium poppy cultivation, declining humanitarian assistance, and restrictions imposed on women and girls-have significantly heightened people`s vulnerability to trafficking in persons and other forms of exploitation.

According to United Nations figures, approximately 6.04 million Afghan nationals returned from Iran and Pakistan between mid-September 2023 and May 30, 2026.

Unemployment and the lack of economic opportunities remain among the primary drivers of migration from Afghanistan to neighboring countries. Many of these migrants are now being returned to a country where unemployment and poverty continue to remain at critically high levels.

Returnees Struggle with Unemployment

According to recent findings by UN agencies, only 11 percent of the surveyed returnees had permanent employment or owned a business, while 56 percent of returning households reported that they were unable to meet their basic living expenses.

The United Nations also reported that nearly half of all returnee families rely on loans or financial assistance to meet their daily needs.

The two organizations warned that women, children, returnees, and indebted households are at heightened risk of becoming victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, forced begging, organ trafficking, and other forms of exploitation.

They identified domestic work, brick kilns, agriculture, mining, and carpet weaving as among the sectors where victims are frequently subjected to forced or exploitative labor.

Polik Ouk Serey, Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan, said that the combined pressures of the mass return of migrants, the elimination of opium poppy cultivation without providing sustainable alternative livelihoods, declining humanitarian aid, natural disasters, and restrictions on women`s rights have made Afghan men, women, and children increasingly vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

Mi-Hyung Park, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Afghanistan, said that the scale of return migration has exceeded the capacity of Afghan communities to absorb returnees without substantial international support.

She added that the lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities could push people toward dangerous and irregular migration routes, thereby increasing the risks of human trafficking, migrant smuggling, exploitation, and abuse.

The Deadly Smuggling Route

Migration through human smuggling networks is an extremely dangerous-and often deadly-journey.

Data compiled by Ansarpress indicate that during the first four months of the current Afghan solar year, at least 20 Afghan nationals lost their lives while attempting to reach Iran through irregular smuggling routes. The figures are based on incidents reported by various media outlets.

According to the collected data, hunger, heatstroke, road accidents, and shootings have been among the leading causes of death for Afghan migrants along these routes.

Two weeks ago, reports emerged that 19 young Afghan men disappeared while attempting to enter Iran through smuggling routes across the Margow Desert in Afghanistan`s Nimroz Province. Taliban authorities launched a search operation and recovered the bodies of five migrants, who had reportedly died from hunger and dehydration in the desert. The fate of the remaining 14 individuals remains unknown.

The five victims were residents of Chamtal District in Balkh Province. Their funeral ceremonies were held on Tuesday of the previous week. They were between 16 and 22 years old, including two brothers.

On June 30, a 22-year-old man from the same district, identified as Farid, died of heatstroke while attempting to reach Iran through the border areas of Nimroz Province. According to reports, Farid had set out for Iran in search of work.

On July 2, five young men from Nangarhar Province were reportedly shot dead by Iranian border guards while attempting to cross the border into Iran illegally.

Sources identified the victims as Amjad, Asrar, Wahdat, Liaqat, and Ghulam Nabi, saying they were residents of the Nazyan, Achin, and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar Province.

On the same day, reports also indicated that a 27-year-old man from Parwan Province, identified as Saber, was killed in a separate shooting incident near the Afghanistan-Iran border. According to sources, he was a resident of Khwaja Mohammad Khil village in Jabal al-Siraj District.

Sources said the group was attempting to enter Iran through the Nimroz border crossing when the vehicle carrying them came under fire from Taliban forces on the Afghan side of the border. Saber was killed in the shooting, while three others-including two women-were injured.

During the same four-month period, several fatal road accidents inside Iran also claimed the lives of Afghan migrants.

On June 4, Iranian media reported that six Afghan nationals were killed in a traffic accident in Semnan Province after a Peugeot 405 carrying nine passengers crashed on the Semnan-Tehran highway.

On June, Iranian media reported another fatal accident in Kerman Province, in which two Afghan nationals were killed and seven others injured.

Reza Fallah, Director General of the Iranian Red Crescent Society in Kerman Province, said that a Peugeot 405 carrying Afghan nationals had veered off the road and overturned.

Findings also show that in May (Sawr), another traffic accident in Kerman Province claimed the lives of eight Afghan nationals. The victims included six men and two women, all residents of Khan Abad District in Kunduz Province.

Traffic accidents involving vehicles transporting undocumented migrants in Iran frequently occur because of excessive speeding, overcrowding, and the use of unofficial routes.

Iranian authorities have also stated that vehicles used to transport undocumented migrants-commonly referred to as "Shuti" vehicles-are among the major contributors to road accidents in the country.

Visa Restrictions Fuel the Black Market

Last year, alongside the launch of its campaign to deport undocumented migrants, Iran also tightened visa regulations, making legal entry for Afghan nationals significantly more difficult.

Previously, Afghan citizens could enter Iran on tourist visas and apply for work permits after arrival. However, since last year, the Iranian government has suspended the issuance of tourist visas for Afghan nationals, announcing that only work visas would be available to Afghan applicants.

Under the regulations introduced by the Iranian government, obtaining a work visa requires an Iranian employer to first submit an application to hire an Afghan worker. After the necessary administrative procedures are completed, the employer must issue an official invitation letter, on the basis of which Iranian diplomatic missions in Afghanistan may issue a work visa.

However, the complexity and lengthy nature of this process have created fertile ground for brokers and middlemen.

While access to Iranian visas has become increasingly restricted for Afghan citizens, Iranian entry visas are now openly advertised on the black market at exorbitant prices, often quoted in U.S. dollars. Field investigations indicate that some intermediaries and online channels are offering Iranian visas for up to nearly US$2,000.

Pakistan has likewise tightened entry restrictions for Afghan nationals. Following escalating tensions with the Taliban, Islamabad closed key border crossings and significantly limited visa issuance for Afghan citizens.

Nevertheless, for many Afghans facing chronic unemployment and deepening poverty, leaving the country remains their only perceived path to survival. With legal migration channels increasingly inaccessible, many see human smuggling as the only viable means of reaching neighboring countries-a route that, for far too many, ends in death, exploitation, or abuse.