Afghanistan Most Dangerous Place In Asia

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11th April 2010, 06:45pm - Views: 975





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The Australian Council for International Development is an independent national association of Australian non-

government organisations (NGOs) working in the field of international aid and development.


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media release

Australian Council for International Development


11 April 2010

Release 2010 -1


AFGHANISTAN MOST DANGEROUS PLACE IN ASIA

SITUATION FOR CIVILIANS TO GET WORSE IN NEXT 6 MONTHS


Afghanistan is the most dangerous place for civilians in Asia and the situation is due to get worse in

the coming six months according to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the

peak Council for Australian not- for- profit aid and development organizations. The situation for

civilians in Afghanistan is rapidly deteriorating as the conflict escalates. There is widespread

insecurity, political instability and social and economic problems. People will continue to flee violence.

The Australian Government must continue to assess individual cases of persecution on their merits.


ACFID Executive Director Marc Purcell said:


“Afghanistan is the most dangerous place for civilians in Asia, and one of the top three most

dangerous places in the world, and we expect the situation for civilians is going to get worse in the

coming six months. Afghanistan has the world’s longest running major armed conflict, which is

expanding across the country. 


There are over 1,817,913 refugees from Afghanistan according to UNHCR, and an estimated 274,000

Internally Displaced People across the country. Violence is growing and it is inevitable that refugee

flows will increase this year as the war escalates. 


“The Government’s decision to suspend processing of asylum seekers from Afghanistan flies in the

face of overwhelming evidence that the situation is deteriorating rapidly and people’s lives are at

grave risk. 


“The Government must continue to assess individual cases of persecution on their merits. The

Government needs to show resolve against fear mongering and retain the 2008 reforms it made to

protect the rights of people fleeing persecution.


“Afghanistan is the only complex humanitarian emergency in the world where all major aid donors,

including Australia, are also belligerents. Afghans in the southern provinces, including Uruzgan where

Australian forces are based, and where fighting is fiercest are severely affected. The spread of

fighting and the relative lack of aid to the North and East of the country is fuelling instability.  

“Last year, at least 5,978 civilians were killed or injured in Afghanistan according to the UN Assistance

Mission in Afghanistan. There were a total of 2,412 civilian deaths between 1 January and 31

December 2009, an increase of 14 percent on the 2,118 civilian deaths recorded in 2008.  


“Afghanistan has some of the world’s worst social indicators: the highest infant mortality rate; the

second highest maternal mortality rate; and is the only country in the world where women have lower

life expectancy than men. The UN’s Children’s agency warned late last year: ’Afghanistan today is

without doubt the most dangerous place to be born’,” Mr Purcell said.





For further information: Marc Purcell 0450 961 561






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