UN Warns of Surging Human Trafficking Risks in Afghanistan

The United Nations warned on July 30, 2026, that a convergence of humanitarian and economic crises in Afghanistan is significantly increasing vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) identified the mass forced return of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, shrinking humanitarian aid, and the collapse of the rural opium-based economy as primary drivers of this trend. Natural disasters and systemic restrictions on women and girls further exacerbate the risk.

Data from the IOM indicates that 56 percent of returnee households cannot meet basic living expenses. This financial instability pushes individuals toward debt bondage, sexual exploitation, organ removal, and forced labor in agriculture and mining. UN agencies are currently conducting a strategic assessment of trafficking and migrant smuggling to improve victim identification and protection services.

Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted a broader global trend of trafficking for forced criminality, noting that victims are increasingly coerced into online fraud and scam operations utilizing artificial intelligence. UN officials are calling for expanded survivor support, safer migration pathways, and strengthened regional cooperation to dismantle the transnational organized crime networks responsible for these abuses.