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(CNN) -
An estimated 270,000 people in Afghanistan have been forced from their homes since January 2021, the high commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday, raising the number. total number of internally displaced persons in the country to more than 3.5 million.
"We can expect a significant number of people to seek refuge in neighboring countries or outside the region," UNHCR added in a statement.
"The United Nations (UN) is committed to standing by and helping those most in need, supporting efforts to restore peace and stability, and promoting the rights and dignity of all Afghans," he said in the release.
The organization further stressed that there is a "fundamental red line" regarding the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, and urged the Taliban to ensure "permanent respect for international human rights commitments made by the state", along with with the provision of public services, such as education, "without discrimination."
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10 million children need "humanitarian assistance to survive"
The UNHCR statement comes a day after UNICEF urged the Taliban to ensure the charity has "safe, timely and unrestricted access to reach children in need" across Afghanistan, noting that an estimated 10 million children need "humanitarian assistance to survive."
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"It is estimated that one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die if they do not receive treatment. It is estimated that 4.2 million children are not in school, including more than 2.2 million girls." UNICEF said, adding that the UN has documented more than 2,000 gross violations of children's rights since January.
In its statement, Unicef said the organization will remain on the ground in Afghanistan "now and in the coming days" to provide "essential services," including medical aid, food and water, as well as working to ensure that "all girls in Afghanistan receive a quality education. "
Afghanistan, one of the worst places in the world to be a child, says UNICEF.
This is the critical situation that could get worse under Taliban control
UNHCR Afghanistan