Iran home to 63% of Afghan refugees: Official
Iran’s deputy justice minister says the Islamic Republic is the destination for 63% of refugees from neighboring Afghanistan, calling on the international community to bear its share of humanitarian responsibility.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is trying to the best of its ability to accept and accommodate these individuals with dignity,” Ali Kazemi said Monday while addressing a workshop on the support system for underage and teenagers being held in Tehran.
Iran expects international organizations and other countries to provide further assistance in this regard in line with their humanitarian responsibilities and human rights conventions, said Kazemi, who is also secretary of Iran's National Convention on Rights of Children.
The deputy minister said many of the refugees have fled war, persecution, and natural disasters in their home countries and come to Iran with their families.
Under Iranian law, he noted, all children residing in Iran are entitled to equal and non-discriminatory treatment regardless of their color, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, or family status.
This principle governs all actions related to children, and various legal protections have been provided for non-Iranian children residing in the country, he said.