Wasif Khan is 10 years old, and an undocumented Afghan. Although he was born in Pakistan, he remains invisible to the system. He has no birth certificate, no legal identity, and no access to school. He is what is known as a ragpicker, a person collecting waste from the streets.
"If I study, then my parents will go hungry — that's why I collect scrap. Picking up this trash brings diseases. We earn this money and take it home. We come at 5 in the morning and leave at 7 or 8 at night. Then all night, our feet hurt," Khan says.
Authorities rarely send detained Afghan children to child protection services.
Pakistan hosts over 3.1 million Afghans, yet only 1.3 million are officially registered, according to UNHCR. The undocumented Afghans are at constant risk of deportation, detention or exploitation.