Rising sexual crimes by Afghan men spark debate over UK immigration controls

Multiple convictions of Afghan nationals for serious sexual crimes have drawn attention to immigration and public-safety concerns in the United Kingdom. Abdul Nabizada, a former British Army translator, received a seven-year term for raping a 19-year-old woman in Edinburgh, while illegal immigrant Sadeq Nikzad was sentenced to nine years for assaulting a 15-year-old in Falkirk. In England, two Afghan teenagers, Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, were jailed for raping a 15-year-old in Leamington Spa, and Ahmad Mulakhil received a 16-year sentence for abducting and raping a 12-year-old in Nuneaton after arriving illegally on a small boat.

Seven Afghan men are also charged with operating a rape gang in Norwich. Unit, Afghan-born individuals have 59.2 sexual-offence charges per 10,000 people, compared with 2.7 per 10,000 for UK-born citizens. The piece links these statistics to Afghanistan’s low ranking on the Women, Peace and Security Index and argues that current UK border and asylum policies are insufficient to protect women.