Youth Interrupted: The Consequences of Urban Displacement for Young Men and Women in Afghanistan

Susanne Schmeidl, Srinjoy Bose

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    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.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)68-82
    Number of pages15
    JournalJournal of Peacebuilding and Development
    Volume11
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

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