Ghor youths return from Iran with bitter memories of arrest, deportation — Pajhwok

FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): Poverty and unemployment have driven some young men from Ghor province to Iran in search of work and a means of supporting their families. However, the hardships of migration, mistreatment by employers, arrest and deportation have shattered their hopes, forcing them to return home with bitter memories. Unemployment and poverty remain among the major challenges facing young people in Ghor and other Afghan provinces after four decades of war and its consequences. The lack of job opportunities has prompted some to migrate in search of work and ways to support their families. Abdul Karim, 28, a resident of Dolina district in Ghor, is one of these young men. Last year, amid economic hardship and hoping to find work and support his family, he embarked on an irregular journey to Iran. He had hoped to earn an income abroad, improve his family’s financial situation and eventually return home with savings. However, the experience was far more difficult than he had imagined. “When I left home, I thought that if I endured the hardships of the journey, I would find work, earn some money and help my family. I did not want my family and me to continue living in poverty. My only wish was to return home one day with something to show for my efforts,” he said. He…