BACKGROUND

In Afghanistan, trafficking of men, women, and children remains a major national concern. Impoverished and marginalized youth are especially vulnerable to trafficking and face consistent abuse, violence, harassment, exploitation, and other human rights violations. Compounding the problem, these vulnerable populations lack awareness of their basic legal rights and often, they respond to harassment by yielding to requests for bribes and other solicitations. Consequently, patterns of exploitation, trafficking, and abuse persist unchallenged and tolerated by a community that lacks the tools to counter unlawful misconduct.

OVERVIEW

USAID in Afghanistan funds partners, such as the Youth Health and Development Organization (YHDO), to support highly vulnerable and marginalized Afghan youth and to promote community engagement, networking, and training for the prevention of trafficking in persons, which is pervasive in Afghanistan. The purpose of the project is to increase capacity of various communities in Afghanistan to combat exploitation, gender-based violence, and human rights abuses among most-at-risk and marginalized youth. The target regions for the project are Kabul, Nangarhar, and Balkh Provinces.

ACTIVITIES

• Community Engagement: Establish and strengthen community networks for increased awareness and empowerment to reduce trafficking, harassment, and violence against marginalized youth in Afghanistan
• Rehabilitation and Capacity Building: Develop capacities of communities to improve prevention of, and response to, trafficking, harassment, and violence in Afghanistan; enable the economic empowerment of victims through intensive skills development training and coordination with stakeholders to increase employability and reduce vulnerability of most-at-risk youth
• Research and Building Knowledge: Generate and disseminate data for evidence-based advocacy on trafficking

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Established 45 Youth Safety Networks for community engagement and reached about 2,700 youth
• Delivered 73 thematic workshops, tailored to specific needs of targeted youth
• Enrolled 191 youth in Skills Development Workshops
• Conducted 270 Peer Education Sessions
• In 2018, 2,553 direct beneficiaries of activities