LGBTQ refugee group says Ottawa will help welcome 600 Afghans to Canada who are fleeing persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Earlier this week, Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian charity based in Toronto, said it had been able to resettle only 4% of the approximately 3,800 Afghans who had requested help to come to Canada since the Taliban had took control of their country.
The organization has complained that Ottawa’s resettlement programs fail to accommodate Afghans who are persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and who often cannot safely flee to neighboring countries.
Rainbow Railroad, however, says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has since pledged to help welcome 600 LGBTQ Afghans, in addition to those who have already arrived in Canada.
The ministry did not confirm the move, citing security risks, but said it was facilitating the relocation of specific groups with stakeholders such as Rainbow Railroad.
Human rights groups have reported an alarming increase in physical assaults, sexual violence and systemic targeting of LGBTQ people in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
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