Country Guidance: Afghanistan Common analysis and guidance note December 2020 The country guidance represents the common assessment of the situation in the country of origin by EU Member States. An electronic version of this publication is available at https://easo.europa.eu/ country-guidance- afghanistan-2020 Manuscript completed in December 2020. Neither the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) nor any person acting on behalf of the EASO is responsible for the use that might be made of the following information. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union, 2021 PDF ISBN 978-92-9485-879-5 doi: 10.2847/84860 BZ-03-21-043-EN-N HTML ISBN 978-92-9485-878-8 doi: 10.2847/165376 BZ-03-21-043-EN-Q © European Asylum Support Office, 2021 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EASO copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Cover photo: © iStock/ KeithBinns, desaturated from original European Asylum Support Office Country Guidance: Afghanistan Common analysis and guidance note The country guidance represents the common assessment of the situation in the country of origin by senior policy officials from EU Member States, in accordance with current EU legislation and jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). This guidance note does not release Member States from the obligation to individually, objectively and impartially examine each application for international protection. Each decision should be taken on the basis of the individual circumstances of the applicant and the situation in Afghanistan at the moment of the decision, according to precise and up-to-date country information, obtained from various relevant sources (Article 10 of the Asylum Procedures Directive). The analysis and guidance provided within this document are not exhaustive. Update: December 2020 Country Guidance | AFGHANISTAN Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................6 Guidance note: Afghanistan ........................................................................................................ 10 Actors of persecution or serious harm ........................................................................................................ 11 Refugee status ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Subsidiary protection ................................................................................................................................... 29 Actors of protection ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Internal protection alternative .................................................................................................................... 38 Exclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 44 Common analysis: Afghanistan ................................................................................................... 47 1. Actors of persecution or serious harm ............................................................................................................. 48 Preliminary remarks ..................................................................................................................................... 48 Overview: areas of control ........................................................................................................................... 49 1.1 The Afghan State and pro-government elements .................................................................................. 50 1.2 Anti-Government Elements ................................................................................................................... 51 1.3 Other non-State actors .......................................................................................................................... 53 2. Refugee status .................................................................................................................................................. 54 Preliminary remarks ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Analysis of particular profiles with regard to qualification for refugee status ............................................ 57 2.1 Members of the security forces and pro-government militias ........................................................ 58 2.2 Government officials, including judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff; and those perceived as supporting the government ..................................................................................................................................... 59 2.3 Individuals working for foreign military troops or perceived as supporting them .......................... 60 2.4 Religious leaders .............................................................................................................................. 61 2.5 Members of insurgent groups and civilians perceived as supporting them .................................... 62 2.6 Persons fearing forced recruitment by armed groups ..................................................................... 63 2.7 Educational personnel ...................................................................................................................... 65 2.8 Humanitarian workers and healthcare professionals ...................................................................... 66 2.9 Journalists, media workers and human rights defenders ................................................................ 67 2.10 Children .......................................................................................................................................... 67 2.10.1 Violence against children: overview ...................................................................... 68 2.10.2 Child marriage ..................................................................................................... 69 2.10.3 Child recruitment ................................................................................................. 69 2.10.4 Child labour and child trafficking ........................................................................... 70 2.10.5 Education of children and girls in particular ........................................................... 71 2.10.6 Children without a support network in Afghanistan ................................................ 73 2.11 Women ........................................................................................................................................... 73 2.11.1 Violence against women and girls: overview .......................................................... 74 2.11.2 Harmful traditional marriage practices .................................................................. 75 Country Guidance| Afghanistan December 2020 2.11.3 Women in public roles ......................................................................................... 77 2.11.4 Women perceived to have transgressed moral codes ............................................. 78 2.11.5 Women perceived as ‘Westernised’ ...................................................................... 78 2.11.6 Single women and female heads of households ..................................................... 78 2.12 Individuals perceived to have transgressed moral codes .............................................................. 79 2.13 Individuals perceived as ‘Westernised’ .......................................................................................... 80 2.14 LGBTIQ ............................................................................................................................................ 82 2.15 Persons living with disabilities and persons with severe medical issues ....................................... 83 2.16 Individuals considered to have committed blasphemy and/or apostasy ...................................... 84 2.17 Ethnic and religious minorities ....................................................................................................... 85 2.17.1 Individuals of Hazara ethnicity .............................................................................. 85 2.17.2 Shia, including Ismaili ........................................................................................... 87 2.17.3 Hindus and Sikhs .................................................................................................. 87 2.17.4 Baha’i ................................................................................................................. 88 2.18 Individuals involved in blood feuds and land disputes ................................................................... 89 2.18.1 Blood feuds ......................................................................................................... 89 2.18.2 Land disputes ...................................................................................................... 90 2.19 Individuals accused of ordinary crimes .......................................................................................... 91 2.20 Individuals who were born in