STUDY »We Knew That They Had No Future in Kabul« Why and How Afghan Families Decide to Leave AFGHANISTAN ANALYSTS NETWORK April 2016 n In Afghanistan, people decide to flee their home every day. Many stay within the borders of their country, others take refuge in neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran. Yet, a growing number of Afghans also decide to embark on a journey towards Europe. The European Commission estimates that in 2015 213,000 persons of Afghan origin arrived in Europe, making Afghans the second largest group of migrants and asylum-seekers to the EU, after the Syrians. n For many Afghan families, taking refuge in Europe is not an unparalleled decision, it is merely a new chapter in a history of migration that has lasted for decades. For more than 30 years, regime changes, wars, fragile statehood, and economic despair in Afghanistan have caused waves of mass migration. n The study in hand explores the motivations for Afghan migration from the perspec­tive of families whose members have left or have been sent to Europe. The research is of an illustrative character and aims at contextualizing the respective decision­making process. In summary, the series of semi-structured interviews documents why Europe was chosen as a main destination, how the travel was prepared and financed and what were personal and social triggers behind the decision to leave.