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Migration from Afghanistan to Europe (2014-2017) - Drivers, return and reintegration (October 2017)

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The decision to migrate to a new country is complex. Perhaps even harder is the decision to return from a host country to a person’s country of origin. Increasing numbers of Afghans are making these decisions, and often under strained and difficult circumstances. While research exists on different aspects of decisionmaking surrounding migration to Europe, little has been done to understand the thought process and the experience of returning when circumstances in Europe do not permit for asylum and resettlement.

This assessment relies on semi-structured interviews with 28 purposely-selected Afghan returnees who migrated to Europe and returned to Afghanistan between 2014 and 2017. Through these interviews, the assessment seeks to better understand the socio-economic profile of Afghans returning from Europe, to identify the motivations behind their return, and to investigate the challenges and vulnerabilities they face once they arrive in Afghanistan. The assessment compares the current situation of Afghans who have returned by different means, either voluntarily (on an individual basis and without assistance), through assisted programmes (primarily through IOM’s AVRR programme) or through forced deportation. The key findings from the assessment show that:

  1. Most returnees decided to leave Afghanistan due to violent conflict and insecurity, as well as a lack of employment opportunities. Respondents reported that violent conflict or lack of employment opportunities alone would not have pushed them to leave Afghanistan. However, the two coupled together made it nearly impossible to build livelihoods and support one’s family.

  2. Despite the carefully crafted definitions that governments and the humanitarian community have coined to distinguish between different categories of returnees, distinctions between them are often blurred in reality. 1 While there are distinctions in how they returned to Afghanistan, there are few differences in how people within these three categories integrated and accessed resources back in Afghanistan. Though assisted returnees seemed to feel a stronger sense of agency and capacity in decisionmaking during the course of their journeys, overall experiences between returnee categories were often similar. In some cases, it was especially difficult to differentiate between forced and voluntary returnees, when returnees of both categories felt that they had no other option than to return.
    These findings challenge the notion of voluntary return in particular, when some voluntary returnees are coerced into returning.

  3. For those respondents who made the unforced decision to return, economic issues associated with a lack of access to livelihoods, family issues back in Afghanistan, border closures and the inability to access asylum heavily influenced decisions to return. Economic issues stemming from the inability to work and access livelihoods were the most common factor cited by respondents as influencing their decision to return.

The second most common factor affecting decisions to return related to family matters back in Afghanistan. Several voluntary and assisted returnees reported that they decided to return after finding out that a family member had fallen ill. Border closures and the inability to access asylum were the joint third most pressing reason to return to Afghanistan. Sixteen out of 28 respondents found themselves unable to continue on to their desired countries of destination due to forced deportation, walls, fences, and closed national borders. For those that were able to reach their desired destinations in Europe, several reported their inability to access asylum as a factor in their decision to return.

  1. The biggest challenges related to reintegration back in Afghanistan had to do with the ability to develop and maintain livelihoods. Back in Afghanistan, the main source of support for most returnees of all three categories was family. Aside from resources and support provided by family members, only a couple of respondents reported having received short-term financial aid from EU governments, the government of Afghanistan or UN agencies. While nearly all respondents received housing and food from family, some reported that this kind of support was not sustainable in the long-term and only enhanced the vulnerability of their families. Finding work opportunities would enable them to contribute to their communities, to save and provide for their families and to offer them stability and the possibility of real, long-term reintegration.

  2. Most returnees had clear ideas of what type of support they would like to receive. Many respondents identified micro-finance loans and investment support to start small businesses as ways to build sustainable livelihoods.
    Other respondents recognised educational opportunities and scholarships as facilitating access to livelihoods, and by consequence, sustainable return and reintegration.

  3. Despite negative experiences related to the journey to Europe, the often poor conditions faced in Europe, and the threat of forced return, almost all returnees still viewed migration positively. Even though extremely few respondents were able to access work – formal or informal – in Europe, the prospects of accessing employment, education, a safe and more secure life fostered renewed intentions to migrate to Europe. With little hope of accessing either employment or education, and with fear of the general insecurity in Afghanistan, most respondents wanted to return to Europe, and planned to do so after they had been able to save enough money and resources for a second attempt at the journey.