Canada meets commitment of welcoming 40,000 Afghan refugees

Canada has accepted at least 40,000 Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban takeover of their homeland since 2021.

Since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, millions of Afghan refugees fled to neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan.

Report:
The Government of Canada has fulfilled its commitment to accept 40,000 Afghans before the end of year 2023, VOA and Canadian news Agencies reported.

More than half of these refugees have been admitted under a humanitarian program specifically tailored for human rights activists, journalists, religious and ethnic minority groups.

An additional 12,000 Afghans, who had worked for the Canadian government in Afghanistan before 2021, found safety in Canada through a special immigration visa program.

Among those resettled across Canada, at least 17,000 are women, many of whom are former government employees, lawmakers and civil society activists.

Afghan women have been disproportionately affected by the Taliban’s rule, which is often referred to as the world’s only gender-apartheid system, denying them fundamental rights such as education and employment.

Canada’s government has earmarked approximately $615 million ($844.3 million Canadian) in resettlement services for the Afghan refugees including a 12-month income support program that pays for accommodation, food and health care.