The Plight of the Afghans

As the news media reports the failing war in Afghanistan where Taliban insurgents are prevailing and UK troops are again being sent into combat Britain turning away majority of Afghan refugees.

While almost 90 per cent of Syrian asylum seekers and three quarters of Eritreans have their applications granted, the figure for Afghans stands at little over a third. Debora Singer, from UK charity Asylum Aid, said there was a “culture of disbelief” at the Home Office that leaves vulnerable refugees struggling to prove their right to protection. “That gap often demonstrates the level of risk perceived by the Home Office."

“The UK grant rate (for applications) on average is 41 per cent but the average for Afghans is much lower,” she told the Independent. Italy grants 97 per cent of asylum applications from Afghan refugees. The average across Europe is under 60 per cent.

Afghans, who make up 21 per cent of arrivals coming over the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea according to United Nations (UN) statistics. More than a third entering the EU are unaccompanied children and teenagers. Laura Padoan, from the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR), told the Independent that the number of refugees from Afghanistan arriving on European shores had been rising rapidly over recent months and appeared to be linked to the renewal of the Taliban’s bloody insurgency.