Urban Displacement in Afghanistan

What is it about?

In conflict-affected countries there is a trend of rapid urbanisation driven by internal migration and displacement. These countries are also increasingly young. Despite constituting a demographic majority in urban conflict and displacement-affected situations, youth are often invisible. Afghanistan fits this dynamic well with two-thirds of the population below the age of 25 and one in four living in cities in so-called ‘informal settlements’ on the fringes of cities, a vast majority with displacement backgrounds. Furthermore, Afghan youth have had very little agency in conceiving their future and that of their country. They are viewed as either vulnerable or risk factors for conflict, with action limited to ‘exit’ or ‘violence’. This article gives urban displaced Afghan youth a voice by telling their story of being caught between the desire for agency and the real and perceived obstacles that prevent this from happening.

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Why is it important?

Internal displacement in war-torn societies is an under investigated, underdeveloped, under theorised field of study. This paper contributes to important discussions on displacement by investigating youth agency and resilience in displacement contexts.