16 Days of Activism: Afghan girl embraces new beginning after escaping forced marriage
News Stories, 5 December 2014 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, December 5 (UNHCR) – When her abusive, drug addict father told Zakia* that she must marry a man twice her age, the then 15-year-old was despondent. But after the Afghan refugee protested, she was barred from leaving...
UNHCR and partners launches “16 Days of Activism” campaign against gender violence
Press Release 25 November 2014 ISLAMABAD – As the world marks the “International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women” the UN refugee agency pledges a renewed commitment to address the continuing problems faced by refugee women and girls in Pakistan. This...
Helping three-year-old Afghan refugee to escape an early marriage
Feature Story LAHORE, Pakistan 24 November, 2014 (UNHCR) — On a foggy morning on the edge of Lahore, a gathering of Afghan refugee women and girls were chatting and giggling. The opportunity to express themselves and be heard was a moment of enjoyment for all, except...
The challenge of life in their Afghan homeland for children born in exile
News Stories, 20 November 2014 KABUL, Afghanistan, November 20 (UNHCR) – The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted 25 years ago today to protect children like Hasanat, Aisha and Safia. The three, aged between seven and 13, have all returned...
UNHCR urges Afghan refugees to renew their PoR cards to retain refugee status
Press Release ISLAMABAD: The UN refugee agency urges all Afghan refugees, who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards that have expired by 31 December 2012 and who have not yet collected their renewed PoR cards, to approach their nearest registration centre, before the...
Challenging security environment has not deterred Asim’s resolve towards humanitarian causes
World Humanitarian Week 2014 Celebrating humanitarian heroes Asim Syedzada, Assistant Field Safety Officer, UNHCR, Peshawar Asim Syedzada’s selfless commitment towards humanitarian causes in the militancy-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province of Pakistan paved his way...
Razia committed to serve humanity amid personal challenges
World Humanitarian Week 2014 Celebrating humanitarian heroes Razia Kakar, a Field Coordinator with the Afghan Refugee Education Project (AREP) Struggling on many different fronts at the same time can be challenging, but passion leads to success in every sphere of...
Changaiz loves to deliver help to ailing communities
World Humanitarian Week 2014 Celebrating humanitarian heroes Mata ul Hussain Changaiz, Assistant Field Officer IDPs Programme, UNHCR Sub Office Peshawar Mata-ul Hussain Changaiz enjoys tackling challenging situations in the field, as he loves to deliver help to...
Nergis finds satisfaction by helping others
World Humanitarian Week 2014 Celebrating humanitarian heroes Nergis Ameer Khan, Case Manager, International Catholic Migration Commission “Helping people and bringing happiness back into broken lives is like an addiction…..you do it once, and then keep going...