EUROPE TO AFGHANISTAN EXPERIENCES OF CHILD RETURNEES © Save The Children Sweden, 2018 Project Coordinator: Mikaela Hagan Project Group: Karen Mets, Meike Riebau, Camilla Scharffscher Engeset, Sarina Hiribae, Samirullah Popal, Ronald Apunyo Authors: Marion Guillaume, Nassim Majidi, Samuel Hall samuelhall.org Save the Children works in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Samuel Hall is a social enterprise that conducts research in countries affected by issues of migration and displacement. Our mandate is to produce research that delivers a contribution to knowledge with an impact on policies, programmes and people. Our established network of researchers and field teams have a proven ability to adapt research methods to challenging contexts, bridging the gap between empirical and academic work. 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Design & layout: BakOS DESIGN Cover photo: © Roya Heydari/Save the Children TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................................................................................5 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Glossary .............................................................................................................................................................................................................6 FOREWORD: Ensuring safe returns and durable solutions for children ................................................................................................7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................................................................................8 Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................................................8 Context ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................8 Research .............................................................................................................................................................................................................9 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Children returning to Afghanistan ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Research objectives ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14 1.3 Research methodology ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND POLICY....................................................................................................................................................... 20 2.1 Key frameworks for understanding the return of children to Afghanistan ............................................................................. 20 2.2 Integration of international frameworks into EU and Afghan law ............................................................................................ 24 3. RESEARCH FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................................................. 28 3.1 The journey to Europe .......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 3.2 Return procedures and safeguards .................................................................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Conditions for return and reintegration in Afghanistan .............................................................................................................. 36 3.4 Support needs and existing support systems .................................................................................................................................. 46 4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 50 4.1 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 50 4.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 4.3 Overarching recommendations .......................................................................................................................................................... 52 4.4 Recommendations to EU Member States and Norway ............................................................................................................... 53 4.5 Recommendations to the EU and its institutions ........................................................................................................................... 54 4.6 Recommendations to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) .................................................... 54 4.7 Recommendations to all stakeholders providing services to child returnees in Afghanistan ............................................. 56 4.8 Recommendations to the UN and UN institutions ....................................................................................................................... 58 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 59 3 FIGURES TABLES Figure 1: Final sample Table 1: Quantitative interviews disaggregated – primary research conducted ............................................. 18 by country and type of return ............................................. 17 Figure 2: Key Articles in the UNCRC Table 2: Afghan laws and policies related to conditions for return ........................................... 21 relevant to children ................................................................. 26 Figure 3: Were you interviewed Table 3: Pre-return support reported ............................... 33 as part of the decision to return? ........................................ 30 Table 4: Key needs on return to Afghanistan, Figure 4: Did you return voluntarily? ............................... 31 parents and children interviewed ........................................ 48 Figure 5: Did you feel safe in the returns process? ....... 33 Figure 6: Was violence or coercion involved in the return process? ............................................. 33 Figure 7: Who returned to Afghanistan with you? ....... 34 Figure 8: How would you rate the standard of the housing you live in today? ......................................... 38 Figure 9: Do you feel secure for yourself and your family outside when engaging in daily activities? Returned children .................................. 38 Figure 10: Do you feel secure for yourself and your family outside when engaging in daily activities Parents/guardians ................................... 39 Figure 11: Do you suffer from the following on a regular basis?......................................... 42 Figure 12: Do you feel like you belong to the community where you currently live? .................... 43 Figure 13: Documents possessed by returned children ............................................................... 44 Figure 14: Pre-return priority support needs ................. 47 Figure 15: Organisations currently and potentially working with children returned from Europe ............................................................. 47 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABBREVIATIONS This report was written for Save