Afghanistan’s Deepening Crisis: Education Collapse, Public Floggings, and Mass Deportations Compound Humanitarian Woes
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis continues to deepen as new reports reveal a collapse in education access, the expansion of harsh Taliban justice practices, and the return of over 600,000 migrants to a fragile homeland lacking essential support systems.
According to UNICEF, nearly four million Afghan children are currently out of school, with economic hardship, a shortage of female teachers, and insufficient school infrastructure as key factors. The organization warns that over two million girls could be excluded from education by the end of 2025 due to the Taliban’s ongoing ban on female students beyond Grade 6. The crisis has driven an increase in child labor, particularly in hazardous conditions, as families struggle to survive.
Simultaneously, the Taliban has intensified enforcement of corporal punishment. Over the weekend, 11 people—including one woman—were publicly flogged across three provinces for alleged offenses ranging from adultery and sodomy to murder and theft. In Kabul, two men received 20 lashes each; in Khost, seven men were flogged up to 39 times and sentenced to long prison terms; and in Samangan, a man and a woman were each lashed 39 times. Human rights organizations report more than 1,000 such punishments since 2021, drawing global condemnation.
Adding to the growing strain, the UNHCR reports that over 630,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone, many under duress or through forced deportation. Nearly 870,000 returnees from Pakistan remain without UN assistance. Most arrive without assets, facing uncertain futures in a country ill-equipped to support them.
The convergence of mass displacement, punitive governance, and educational exclusion paints a grim picture for Afghanistan’s future, with aid organizations warning of a lost generation unless urgent international support and policy reform are enacted.
