Organisations call for more funding for Afghanistan's reception programme
On the occasion of the third anniversary of the takeover of power by the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan, several organizations have called on the German government to continue funding the federal resettlement program for Afghan women and men. "The program must not fall victim to budget cuts," explained, for example, Diakonie President Rüdiger Schuch.
"Despite everything, there are still many people in need of protection in Afghanistan who face torture and imprisonment because they have stood up for human rights." The Taliban took control of the Afghan capital Kabul on August 15, 2021. Since their takeover, they have been implementing their strict interpretation of Islam with draconian laws and restricting women's rights in particular.
The federal resettlement program for Afghanistan was initiated about a year later, in October 2022, after the completion of military evacuation flights from Kabul. It was designed to provide permanent resettlement in Germany for particularly vulnerable Afghan women and men under Taliban rule, with the aim of taking in up to a thousand people per month. However, according to media reports, the traffic light coalition plans to significantly cut the funds for the program in the coming year.
As of July 2024, only 540 people had entered Germany through the resettlement program, criticized Caritas President Eva M. Welskop-Deffaa. Around three thousand people have been granted resettlement offers, but several thousand reported cases of asylum seekers are still in the process of being handled.
Given the concrete threat situation, every further delay puts human lives at immediate risk, emphasized Welskop-Deffaa. If the funds for humanitarian resettlement were to be cut by more than 60 million euros by 2025, as announced, "that would be the end" of the federal resettlement program. "This would be a dramatic breach of trust towards the people seeking protection and the committed civil society."
The German Institute for Human Rights also calls for "urgent" continued funding of the program. "The situation in Afghanistan has continuously deteriorated over the years," explained Nele Allenberg from the human rights institute. The extent of the suffering is "alarming." Especially now, vulnerable Afghan women and men "urgently" need protection, also emphasized the refugee organization Pro Asyl. "Taliban kidnap, imprison, rape, and threaten people who have worked for international forces."
The German government's decision on funding for the federal resettlement program is under scrutiny, with Diakonie President Ruďger Schuch advocating that "The Commission" shouldensure the program's budget is not affected by cuts.
In light of the Taliban's ongoing violation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly towards those who stand up for these rights, organizations like Caritas and Pro Asyl urge "The Commission" to maintain funding for the resettlement program, emphasizing its importance in protecting vulnerable individuals.
