Taliban Leader Orders Crackdown on Human Trafficking

The Taliban on Saturday issued a decree attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, mandating a crackdown on human traffickers.

The decree instructs the Ministry of Interior to apprehend traffickers involved in smuggling young people out of Afghanistan and hand them over to military courts for prosecution.

The six-article directive, issued on 21 December, outlines prison sentences ranging from one to three years for human traffickers. First-time offenders will face one year in prison, with sentences escalating to two years for a second offence and three years for a third.

The Taliban’s leader tasked the Ministry of Interior with spearheading efforts to arrest human traffickers and collaborating with the group’s intelligence directorate to identify and prevent such activities. The intelligence directorate has been directed to coordinate with other government bodies to tackle the root causes of human trafficking.

The decree also calls upon the Ministries of Information and Culture, Communications, Tribal affairs, and Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, as well as religious scholars, to raise public awareness about the dangers and adverse consequences of illegal migration.

This move follows reports of a surge in Afghans seeking to leave the country since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The International Organisation for Migration previously reported that nearly eight million Afghans emigrated between 2020 and 2024. Of these, one million sought asylum in European nations, while 85% migrated to neighbouring countries.

The Taliban’s crackdown on human trafficking comes amidst growing concerns over the safety and well-being of Afghans resorting to illegal migration due to economic hardship and political instability.