MONTHLY UPDATE JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 2019 POPULATION MOVEMENT From January to the end of February 2019, 35,056 individuals fled their homes due to conflict. 19 out of 34 provinces have recorded some level of forced displacement, while 16 provinces are hosting IDPs. 58 % of IDPs are children, facing additional Internal risks due to displacement, including child recruitment, child labour and increased GBV risks. According to OCHA. Top hosting displacement: provinces are: Sar-i-Pul (9,548 ind.), Takhar (6,517 ind.), Faryab (4,613 ind.), and Kunduz (2429 ind.), Balkh (2,226 ind), Farah (2,051 ind.). As of 01 January to the end February 2019, 193 refugee returnees have returned and were assisted with repatriation grant. Return to A total of 2,667 undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan and 42,571 undocumented Afghans returned from Iran. 9% Afghanistan: undocumented returned from Iran and 85% from Pakistan were assisted by IOM. PROTECTION CONCERNS REGIONS CONCERNS MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS CENTRAL 1. Limited access to job opportunities ◼ UNHCR covered some of the potential ◼ All Persons of Concern in need causing engagement of negative copping needs under the CPM projects. Regional to receive assistance, as there mechanism, particularly in newly cluster has been following up with other are increasing gaps to fill. displaced communities, including child actors in the area. PSS activities, rights ◼ The unstable security situation labor, begging, child and forced marriage. awareness particularly on the rights of will trigger new displacement in 2. Criminal acts increased in the cities children and women are ongoing. central region mainly in urban including robbery, abduction and ◼ Community Based Child Safeguarding areas, responding to various kidnapping which mostly affect children. 19 Mechanism and Community Based emergency needs in a IDP children abducted in Kabul and Midan Education systems established in IDPs’ decreasing funding is Wardak provinces. communities. becoming challenging. Role of 3. Lack of documentation/Tazkira mostly ◼ Post-arrival humanitarian assistance government and developmental for women and children is causing lack of provided to PSN cases among actors is considered essential access to humanitarian assistance. IDPs spontaneous returnees and deportees. to ensure sustainable durable displaced from Ghazni have been denied ◼ Community Based Protection Monitoring solution. access to humanitarian assistance in is ongoing in High Return Areas and IDP Kabul. locations. EASTERN 1. Sporadic clashes between ANSF forces ◼ Advocacy through the regional protection ◼ Advocacy with the and AGEs, airstrike, and IEDs/MIEDs in cluster with UNAMA is ongoing on government to reinforce and different locations causing civilian possible mitigation in civilians’ casualties. facilitate exit of civilians from casualties. 11 civilians were killed in ◼ Joint assessment for verification of areas of conflict to safer Beshud and Khogyani districts of Nagahar displaced families led by regional areas without being targeted province. protection cluster and attended by or forced to join a militant 2. Intra- insurgent clashes between AGES protection partners including UNHCR, group. affiliated with Taliban and ISK in PU-AMI, IMC, WFP-PAT, DACAAR, and ◼ Dispatch of MRE teams to Chapadara district of Kunar provoking WAW. asses risks and hazards from displacement of an estimated 1,400 ◼ Local communities have actively explosive remnants of war as families. engaged in negotiations with the AGES well as provide mine risk 3. IHL violations have continued, AGESs for the opening of clinics and 5 reopened, education in several villages affiliated with DAESH (ISK) targeting negotiation for other clinics is ongoing. impacted by conflict. health and educational facilities including ◼ Protection monitoring by protection ◼ Health cluster in coordination targeting of health workers and teachers, actors is ongoing. Health cluster alerted with the DoPH to dispatch a dispute between AGEs on the clinic on the needs of IDPs in Kunar and the mobile health teams to areas operations has reportedly forced the need to support IDPs to access health hosting newly displaced IDPs closure of 100 clinics. An IED detonated services through the mobile health team. as the local health clinics outside a female gynecologist’s clinic in have either been severely 1 | P a g e MONTHLY UPDATE JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 2019 Jalalabad, injuring three women and three affected or closed due to children conflict. 4. Children in displacement locations are ◼ A gap is noted in provision of unable to enroll in local schools. Parents community level PSS are unwilling to register their children in services in the current local schools due to uncertainty about the response structure. ERPC timeframe of their displacement. urged the health cluster and protection partners to assess the possibility of community outreach or mobile teams when it comes to PSS services. NORTHERN 1. Increase in civilian casualties including ◼ All cases were verified and followed up ◼ Advocacy with all parties killing of children, 25 children killed during through UNAMA by regional MRM-Task involved in the conflict for the reporting period in the region. Force. protection of civilians during 2. Delay in provision of humanitarian ◼ Advocacy through Northern Region engagements, particularly assistance. Protection Cluster ongoing, the concerns children. 3. Cold weather with unavailability of have been raised in regional HRT ◼ The coordination for such sufficient winterization assistance, and meetings. responses has to improve in spread of seasonal diseases. ◼ As a result of protection monitoring the region. 4. Lack of documentation mostly for findings and follow up through NRPC, ◼ Awareness raising among women and children which is causing lack UNHCR provided emergency shelter IDPs’ communities in the of access to humanitarian assistance. (tents) to more than 143 new IDP region on the importance of 5. Limited access to health facilities, families. obtaining of ID-card. potable water, and employment. ◼ Regular follow up by regional HLP TF ◼ Linking of humanitarian and assist those in critical need of civil response with development documents. programs. ◼ Followed up the concerns with health service providers and OCHA. UNHCR covered some groups under community based protection projects. NORTH 1. Delay in provision of humanitarian ◼ Advocacy through regional cluster on ◼ APC to discuss delay in EASTERN assistance, particularly food distribution to provision of on time assistance with OCT assistance provision with new IDPs. and UNHCR Mazar office is ongoing. WFP and other ICCT 2. Limited access to health facilities, ◼ UNHCR covered some of the potential members. potable water, and employment by IDPs. needs under the CPM projects. Regional ◼ Linking of humanitarian 3. Cold weather with unavailability of cluster has been following up with other response with development sufficient winterization assistance for actors in the area, however durable programs. displaced communities in Takhar and solution still remain a gap. ◼ APC to follow up on the ID- Badakhshan provinces. ◼ Through the regional cluster advocacy card issue with actors. 4. Prolonged IDPs’ petitions process and effort, shelters by UNHCR and ◼ APC to discuss considering of delay in IDP identification. winterization assistance by other prolonged IDPs needs with 5. Drug addiction among IDPs and members of the ESNFI regional cluster OCHA as they have been returnees with lack of health facilities, provided to the most affected delayed by the process. based on the statistic by MoPH/ DoPH communities. ◼ The drug addiction in Kunduz around 22,000 person have been ◼ Regional protection cluster shared should be considered addicted with drugs in Kunduz province. concerns about addicted IDPs with seriously, and APC to 6. Civilian casualties including killing and protection actors. advocate with health cluster maiming of children, 34 killed and injured ◼ Through the cluster advocacy joint for possible programs under including 24 children in Teloka area assessment team has been established AHF and donor agencies for around Kunduz City and Dasht-i-Qala to identify IDPs and accelerate the long term solution. District of Takhar Province. process. ◼ Advocacy through UNAMA . ◼ All cases of children were verified and with parties to the conflict for followed up by UNAMA and regional protection of civilians during MRM-Task Force. engagements, particularly children. 2 | P a g e MONTHLY UPDATE JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 2019 SOUTH 1. Human and animals’ casualties, ◼ Assessment of flood affected families has ◼ Flood contingency planning destruction of agricultural lands’ by flood been conducted by humanitarian should be part of the clusters’ and limited assistance provision-areas not agencies and government, assistance activities. For the current case under Gov. control remained unattended was provided to some families, however load, ES/NFIs, WASH and IOM by humanitarian actors. it did not cover the entire needs yet. should continue with their 2. Civilian casualties- caused by military Protection monitoring is ongoing, some advocacy role in the region until operations, airstrikes, stray bullets, PSN cases identified and referred for the gap is filled. Humanitarian bombardments, and IEDs. Local Houses assistance. Access Group should initiate are used as entrenchments by parties to negotiations with AGEs and the conflict and in some cases AGEs do ◼ Regional cluster advocacy with UNAMA provide access