A challenge in access to social services of undocumented Afghan immigrants in host society of Peshawar, Pakistan

AbstractUndocumented immigrants are one of the main issues faced by many countries, especially developed countries. Globally, various studies have been done related to this issue; however, in Pakistan, researchers are less inclined to investigate this phenomenon through mixed angles. This study aimed to investigate the specific barrier to undocumented Afghan immigrants accessing social services in the host community of Peshawar, Pakistan, and to examine the coping mechanism they used for overwhelming. Within this broad area, four key elements of undocumented immigrants were examined: the healthcare system, education system, livelihood, and human rights status. This study used mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research methodologies by purposely selecting samples and collecting data through interviews and surveys. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically, and quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, and MS Office software. The result revealed that undocumented Afghan immigrants faced various challenges in access to social services, such as legal status and documentation void, communication barriers, fear of authority and deportation, and socio-cultural values. They had inadequacies in service provision, such as challenges in the healthcare system, including overcrowded clinics, long waiting hours, and limited access to healthcare services, lack of access to the education system, including restricted access to education, crowded classrooms, an increase in student–teacher ratio, an increase in informal education like madrasas; challenges in livelihood, including informal jobs, an increase in unemployment, a low wage, less job security, and human rights violations. The study also determines that rights are available in frameworks, but undocumented immigrants don’t have access to them in reality. In addition, discrimination based on status while accessing social services was found. To overwhelming the situation, they developed remarkable resilience and coping strategies. Addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by Afghan undocumented immigrants requires collaborative efforts from policymakers and service providers, emphasizing the need for inclusive and rights-based interventions.