Afghanistan to Aotearoa: One year on from the Taliban takeover

As an orphan who grew up to become Afghanistan's youngest-ever Attorney General, Zabihullah Karim Ullah has always felt lucky.

But it was his escape from Kabul as Taliban fighters closed in last August, when he says fortune really favoured him.

"The situation in Afghanistan after the government collapsed was extremely bad," he told 1News. "The rule of law was down, there was no police working, no prosecutor, no judges. So for two weeks, people were living among the bullets."

Initially, Karim - as he likes to be known - said he and his extended family decided to stay. They felt they could still contribute to Afghanistan society in a positive way, maybe help steer the Taliban towards a more progressive system, and didn't want to abandon their country in a time of need.

But he soon lost hope.

"For those working in the justice sector, it was our job to prosecute people. The Taliban were all over the city, more than 7000 Taliban prisoners were released and around 15,000 more serious criminals, including ISIS members who were walking the streets looking for revenge," he said.

The family was constantly on edge.

"A car bomb went off in our street and broke all the windows in our house, then I learnt that suicide bombers had entered our street and at that point, I knew we had to run."

After calling many former colleagues from his time working for the UN Development Fund, a former Kiwi workmate finally helped Karim, his wife and four children get out.

But it wasn't easy. Karim and his family were told to take a particular route through the city, where certain people would be waiting to help get them through checkpoints and guide them to a former UN base.

"Then from there, a helicopter picked us up and took us to the airport," he said.

The family of six fled Afghanistan with just two suitcases packed with some clothes and personal documents. Initially they went to Spain, where they stayed for four months until their New Zealand visa was secured. Their new life was on the horizon, some 13,000km from Kabul.

Karim is one of 1562 Afghans who have been approved to come to New Zealand under the Afghanistan Resettlement Offer - a type of critical purpose visa. The majority have already landed with a further 88 still to arrive, according to Fiona Whiteridge, general manager for refugee and migrant support at Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

Many of the evacuees are being temporarily housed in an Auckland hotel - which 1News has agreed not to identify - while the process of trying to find a place to live begins.

Whiteridge said for privacy reasons, she couldn't disclose the number of Afghans still in the hotel or how many had moved into their own place. It's understood some families lived in the hotel for six months or more, their children's education suffering because most schools require a permanent address in order to enrol pupils.

Whiteridge says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE), along with the Ministry of Social Development, is working on finding suitable accommodation.

"Priority status for social housing was not allocated to Afghan nationals, and therefore we have been working to house them through the private rental market, like we do for quota refugees," Whiteridge told us. "Long-term housing is a key part of the resettlement options and work is continuing with relevant agencies to secure appropriate housing for the Afghan nationals."

Karim says he is lucky he and his children already spoke English - this allowed them to navigate their way through the New Zealand system, leave the hotel and secure a permanent place to live.

Then there's the trauma. Karim's five-year-old son is still scared to stand next to windows. Karim says the violence and chaos that erupted as the Taliban took over affected everyone.

"There are kids and women still suffering, they're traumatised and they need therapy sessions or organisations that could help them."

Karim wants MBIE to provide counselling sessions for these families. He also wants MBIE to extend its financial support from one to two years.

"There are many other Afghans here who are still suffering, facing difficulties in finding housing, because finding a house is a very difficult procedure here, and especially for those who actually can't speak English."

Whiteridge says INZ is committed to making sure all individuals and families arriving in New Zealand for the first time get the support they need, and says psychological support is available.

"Ongoing support will continue to be provided for these families as they move into the community. Included in the health support is psychological support that is available to everyone during their time in temporary accommodation," she said.

"The support provided varies depending on the circumstances of each individual or family, but a wide range of government agencies continue to work together to ensure these people are able to access the support needed."

After the Taliban swept to power in August last year, they presented a more progressive image and promised not to roll back the decades of work that had gone into women's rights and education.

But one year on, Amnesty International released a report that paints a damning picture.

"The Taliban have violated women's rights and girl's rights to education, work, free movement; decimated the system of protection and support for those fleeing domestic violence and support for those fleeing domestic violence; detained women and girls for minor violations of discriminatory rules and contributed to a surge in the rates of child, early and forced marriage," the report said.

Just hours after reopening in March this year the Taliban shut down high schools for girls 11 and older, saying they would reopen when classes could operate in accordance with Islamic law. Most remain closed, but some informal arrangements and local leadership in certain provinces have enabled girls' secondary education to keep going, according to a report by Save the Children.

The report, published on August 10, said the lives of children have changed in almost every way. It said 97% of families are struggling to find enough food, and the dire economic situation has seen some families take desperate measures like selling their daughters as child brides.

"Children are out of school, taking part in dangerous forms of child labour, and at risk of early and forced marriage."

For Karim, his life in New Zealand is in stark contrast to the one he left behind.

He has submitted his education documents to the New Zealand Law Society and is a candidate for a PhD in international law. His three eldest children are thriving at a West Auckland primary school, but the wounds of such a traumatic and sudden upheaval are still healing.