Keeping promises: Terre des Hommes warns of human rights risks

Terre des Hommes warns of grave human rights risks for Afghan families with German resettlement commitments.

Osnabrück/Berlin, December 11, 2025 – Around 1,800 Afghans who have received German resettlement commitments from various programs are still desperately waiting for their evacuation to Germany. More than 70 percent of them are women and children. “We call on the German government to honor its resettlement commitments and finally bring those affected to safety,” says Joshua Hofert, spokesperson for the board of the children's rights organization Terre des Hommes . “These people have worked for and with us – and they have relied on our promise. To emphasize our demand, we co-initiated an open letter to Federal Ministers Wadephul and Dobrindt, which has been signed by more than 250 organizations.”

Among those affected in Pakistan is a former employee of a Terre des Hommes . Due to his particular commitment to women's and children's rights, he and his family are at high risk in Afghanistan. With the Taliban's rise to power, he received death threats. After a house search, he and his family were forced into hiding and had to change their location several times. Through lengthy legal proceedings, the family demonstrated their particular need for protection to the German authorities; only then did they finally receive a commitment from the German government to accept them and travel to Pakistan. The man says: "As an educated person who has always strived to serve others and protect human rights—especially the rights of women and children—I now need protection myself. I sincerely hope that the German government will continue to support people like us who have dedicated their lives to humanitarian work and are now seeking safety."

Lawyer Nina Hager, who represents numerous victims, confirms: “Due to an expiring agreement with Pakistan, it is highly likely that those affected will be deported to Afghanistan from 2026 onwards, where many face persecution, torture, and death. Meanwhile, the German government maintains that it will continue to examine whether there is still a ‘political interest’ in legal entry. This treatment of people who have stood up for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights is legally and morally unacceptable.”

• To protect them, the family in question must remain anonymous.
• The open letter, which was signed by, among others, Terre des Hommes , Kabul Airlift, PRO ASYL, Amnesty International, Der Paritätische Gesamtverband, Human Rights Watch and Bread for the World, can be found here in full .
• As of November 27, 2025, according to the Federal Government, over 70% of those trapped in Pakistan are women and children: Plenary Protocol 21/46