On the third anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan on August 15th

Three years after the Taliban seized power, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains devastating: girls are forbidden from attending school from the seventh grade onward, and women are prohibited from working, studying, or leaving the house alone. Millions of children suffer from hunger, exploitation, and a lack of educational opportunities. Many parents are desperate and send their children to work instead of school. At the same time, the country is massively affected by the impacts of climate change and numerous natural disasters, such as the devastating floods in the north of the country in May 2024. Against this backdrop, humanitarian aid and basic services are just as crucial as long-term development cooperation and the promotion of local civil society.

In addition to the urgently needed continuation and provision of international aid for Afghanistan, the children's rights organization Terre des Hommes on the anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of power, calls on the German government to absolutely continue the Federal Reception Program for Afghanistan (BAP).

“The German government enshrined the federal resettlement program for particularly vulnerable Afghan women and girls in the coalition agreement, making a promise that must not be broken. Women and girls in Afghanistan face massive oppression; girls are no longer even allowed to attend school from the seventh grade onward. This is a serious violation of children's rights, which deprives many young women of their future. Germany has a humanitarian obligation to accept more vulnerable people from Afghanistan,” explains Joshua Hofert, spokesperson for the board of Terre des Hommes .

According to the German government's coalition agreement, the Federal Asylum Program (BAP) is supposed to run until the end of the current legislative period in September 2025. However, the draft budget presented in July 2024 includes financial cuts that would effectively mean the end of the BAP. Together with numerous other organizations, Terre des Hommes joint appeal in July calling for the continuation of the Federal Asylum Program.

 

Background:
The BAP (Federal Asylum Program) is aimed at Afghans who have campaigned for human and women's rights and for a democratic, constitutional Afghanistan, or who are persecuted because of their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion. The BAP is enshrined in the coalition agreement. According to the admission order, up to 1,000 vulnerable individuals and their families were supposed to receive a commitment to accept refugees each month during the current legislative period. By the end of the legislative period, this would amount to up to 36,000 people. However, only 540 people have actually entered the country so far.