The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has published eligibility guidelines for assessing the international protection needs of asylum seekers from Afghanistan. The Guidelines supersede and replace the UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Afghan Asylum-Seekers, issued in December 2007, and the 2008 Afghanistan Security Update Relating to Complementary Forms of Protection.
In its analysis of the political situation in the country, the UN agency observes that despite efforts at reform, Afghanistan is still faced with widespread corruption, lack of due process and an ineffective administration of justice. It says that human rights violations are rarely addressed or remedied by the justice system and impunity continues to be pervasive. The progressive strengthening of religious conservatism has pressured the Government and Parliament into curtailing fundamental rights and freedoms.
Lack of legal and enforcement mechanisms continue to hamper efforts to curb pervasive exploitative and discriminatory practices against women, particularly sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and forced and child marriages.
UNHCR asserts that it considers that a significant number of Afghan asylum-seekers are in need of international protection and requests that favourable consideration should be given to the specific groups identified in the Guidelines, such as journalists and civil society activists, members of ethnic groups where they constitute a minority, and women and children.
Download the guidelines here.
