(Athens, Greece) “I am in so much pain,” says Hasina Haidari on the verge of tears. This Afghan woman had to flee her country in disaster with her husband and two children, aged 7 and 5, shortly after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.
“Our lives were in danger because of my work”, explains the one who was a judge in her country of origin, and who has already condemned the Taliban. The latter quickly imposed their doctrine, particularly targeting women politicians, judges and prosecutors, journalists, or even activists.
With the support of international organizations, 200 Afghans, including the Haidari family, were able to leave the country at the end of October 2021 for Athens. Greece has offered temporary shelter to hundreds of Afghan women in positions of authority and their families, while they find refuge in another country, such as Canada. What was supposed to be a simple passage turned into an endless wait.
Why does this happen to us? We lost our country, our job, and we are here in Greece with nothing.
Hasina Haidari
It has been more than a year since she and her family say they sent a request for resettlement to the Canadian authorities, in the hope of joining relatives living in Canada. They maintain that they have already had medical visits, provided their fingerprints, but have not heard from them since April.
Ottawa has pledged to welcome 40,000 Afghans to the country following the arrival of the Taliban to power. But more than a year later, only nearly 26,000 have made it to Canadian soil.
Hasina Haidari says the majority of other Afghans evacuated with her family have already been able to reach Canada. She wonders why this is not her case. Between the trauma she keeps from her hasty departure and this unbearable wait, she says she can no longer endure the situation. “I implore Canada to make a final decision. It needs an easier and faster process. We are living in an extremely difficult situation. »
A case far from isolated
This expectation, Huma Ahmadi has also been living it for more than a year. Member of the Afghan Parliament, she too had to resolve to leave her country. His first attempt to leave failed, as a suicide bombing took place at Kabul airport on August 26, 2021, killing nearly 200 people.
For fear of the Taliban, she remained hidden at home for a month, before being able to reach Greece with her family, after a long journey through Iran, Iraq and Georgia. She too is waiting for a response from Canada, to join relatives there and start a new life.
Huma Ahmadi, her husband and two daughters say they sent their request to Canadian authorities in November 2021, a request that is still being processed.
“I am anxious. I worry about the future of my daughters. They don’t go to school in Athens,” she explains, not letting go of her cell phone, from where she regularly checks the status of her application online.
Added to this expectation is also misunderstanding. Other members of her family, who fled at the same time as her, have already been able to access Canada in recent months.
We are honest people, we have done nothing wrong, we deserve to be accepted. This situation should not be like this, we are suffering a lot.
Huma Ahmadi
She explains that the stress generated by this expectation is particularly felt on her daughters. Her eldest, aged 18, has even lost more than 15 kilograms in recent months. Huma Ahmadi is also asking Ottawa to speed up processing.
A long process
These two Afghans would be far from being isolated cases. The Greek organization Melissa Network, which has been involved in efforts to evacuate Afghans to Greece, confirms that many are still awaiting an answer, more than a year after their arrival.
“It’s a long process. All the Afghan women who are still in Greece are waiting for a response from Canada”, the others having either left for other countries of the European Union, or already in Canada, explains Nadina Christopoulou, co-founder of the organization. It’s impossible to know exactly how many women and families are still waiting for a response from Canada from Greece, but there are still dozens.
“They’re frustrated because they can’t move forward. Most of their children do not go to school. It is difficult to find a job. Where, how and with what language can they work here? she asks herself.
The organization is also asking Ottawa to speed up the resettlement process.
These women are practically trapped here. The sooner they arrive at their final destination, the better it will be for them and their host country. Then they can start a new life.
Nadina Christopoulou, co-founder of Melissa Network
Ottawa has faced widespread criticism for months over efforts to resettle Afghans in the country. The Government of Canada ensures by email that all means are implemented to facilitate these arrivals, but that each request is different, which may therefore “require longer delays than others”.
Ottawa still says it is “committed to resettling at least 40,000 Afghans in the country by the end of 2023”, but could not tell us how many cases of Afghans in Greece are being processed, for security reasons.
In the meantime, the days go by and look alike for Hasina Haidari and Huma Ahmadi. Both are trying to imagine what their new life in Canada might be like. “I hope to be able to go back to school and become a lawyer,” says Hasina Haidari. Both dream of regaining a certain freedom that disappeared overnight.