US Accused of Ignoring Child Trafficking During Afghanistan Evacuation

DID Press: Documented reports indicate that during the 2021 evacuation of Afghan refugees, the U.S. government ignored staff warnings regarding child trafficking and abuse.

Internal documents from the U.S. State Department and an Associated Press report revealed that during the “Operation Allies Welcome,” conducted alongside the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, widespread cases of child trafficking, sexual abuse, and forced marriages of teenage girls were overlooked.

Field reports show that teenage girls in temporary evacuation centers, including Abu Dhabi’s “humanitarian city,” were sexually assaulted by older men, and some were coerced into forced marriages. Field staff at Fort McCoy reported multiple cases of child marriages and polygamous families to the State Department but received no serious follow-up.

The State Department described these reports as “isolated anecdotes” and did not conduct an in-depth investigation. The Afghan Resettlement Office not only downplayed child trafficking but also issued orders to process applicants with criminal or terrorist backgrounds, a move considered a deliberate breach of security protocols.

These reports reinforce earlier claims of sexual abuse of Afghan boys by U.S. allies, with the added revelation that internal government documents indicate a systematic disregard for crimes against children.

Child rights advocates and experts, including Philip Linderman, founder of the Ben Franklin Foundation, have emphasized that it is now time for the U.S. government to conduct a comprehensive review of these cases, hold responsible parties accountable, and prevent such abuses from occurring in the future.