TEHRAN – Cases filed to search for 100 missing Afghan refugees in the first 6 months of the current [Iranian calendar] year (started March 21), deputy head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for international affairs has said.

After the change of Afghanistan's government last year, the Department of Search and Family Reunification of the IRCS faced a significant increase in requests to search for missing persons, IRNA quoted Behnam Saeedi as saying on Wednesday.

Most of these missing people are children who were separated from their families during illegal crossings on both sides of Iran’s borders with neighboring countries, he explained.

For over four decades, Iran has been hosting one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world.He went on to say that in the process of crossing borders and traveling in border provinces, family members are separated; Unfortunately, some of them cannot find each other and this separation may continue for years.

In such cases, people can go to one of the search offices located in any national population around the world to find a missing family member, so that the search process begins by filing a case, he added.

For over four decades, Iran has been hosting one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world and has provided asylum to refugees, mostly from Afghanistan. 

The recent fast-paced turn of events in Afghanistan has the potential to create additional population movements; internally displacing families and potentially driving them to neighboring countries to seek refuge.

However, with the continued allocation of insufficient international aid, it is very difficult and almost impossible for the Islamic Republic to continue providing services to refugees and unauthorized foreign nationals, the Iranian delegation at the 73rd meeting of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner for Refugees, said in October.

Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, while thanking Iran for its long-term measures in supporting Afghan refugees, stressed the need to increase international support for Iran and implement sustainable solutions, including the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons.

FB/MG