Vienna, Austria: The MRC Afghanistan relaunched its virtual counselling hub on 3rd November 2021. Counsellors work remotely providing advice to Afghan citizens in the country who are considering leaving as well as to Afghans already on the move. The MRC WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram number +93 79 959 9898 is active as well as the MRC Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The requests have been overwhelming for the team: five counsellors responded to over 4,500 people and the Facebook page gained over 8,000 new followers in November alone (in addition to the existing 55,000). The information being demanded relates to the current migration situation in the neighbouring countries, available relocation programmes and humanitarian aid. Questions around living and working in Turkey - which was a big focus in August 2021 - have dropped dramatically. There is a spike in people trying to verify if visa and/or smuggling schemes are fraudulent or not. While the majority of requests come from men, a number of Afghan women ask about special relocation programmes for women. All of the requests for guidance and help, however, are set against a background of suffering, misery and despair.

Our Afghan MRC is implemented by International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and funded by the European Union.