Europe’s shameful refugee policy
Having travelled for months across unforgiving terrain, suffered abuse and exploitation en route, refugees arriving in Europe all too often find themselves in an unwelcoming, hostile environment, one in which the debilitating politics of fear, intolerance and division has increasingly influenced decisions on immigration generally and an approach to those seeking refuge.
THIS time of year Mediterranean beaches are the destinations of choice for many European holidaymakers, it’s also the beginning of the busiest time of year for the people smugglers based in Libya and elsewhere along the North African coast.
July to October is their peak season — during this time in 2016 around 103 000 refugees were crammed into unsafe boats, often in the dead of night, and cast off into the Mediterranean Sea. Some don’t survive the crossing. Whilst the number of migrants arriving at Europe’s back door may have decreased — from 205 858 in the first five months of 2016, down to 71 029 for the same period this year, the number of dead has dramatically increased, reaching a staggering 1 650.
The mortality rate has increased from 1.2 percent to 2.3 percent (2016).
In 2015, when Europe’s response was properly coordinated, and when Germany opened its doors to over a million refugees, the death rate was 0.37 percent.
Europe’s politicians seem indifferent to the growing number of fatalities, and with a reported 2.5 million people (according to a leaked German government document) waiting in countries around the Mediterranean, the death count is set to rise dramatically.
The German report states that one million people are holed up in Libya, which, thanks to Western “intervention”, is now a lawless state without any credible government where refugees are imprisoned, sold as slaves and trafficked into prostitution.
Another million are in Egypt, almost half a million are waiting in Algeria, there are 160 000 or so in Tunisia and hundreds of thousands sit patiently in transit countries such as Jordan.
This is in addition to the 3.3 million refugees in Turkey, who have been denied access to Europe by the European Union’s (EU) “One in One out” Syrian migrant deal struck in 2016.
A crude financial arrangement of convenience made with Turkish President Recep Erdogan — a quasi-dictator, in which Turkey accepted the return of irregular migrants arriving in Greece in exchange for six billion euros in financial aid, and the loosening of visa restrictions for Turks.
The result: tens of thousands of refugees stranded in Greece, living in intolerable and insecure conditions.
It was bribery by any other name; the aim was to push the refugee issue out of sight, make them someone else’s problem.
This remains the EU’s inadequate, irresponsible approach.
It’s easy to see the statistics and forget that the numbers refer to people, human beings trying to escape some form of danger or violent conflict: Syrian Mother, “there was a rocket launching pad right behind my house. For the children, this was the main reason that we left. They became sick, they wouldn’t let me go . . . At night they’re asleep, they’d wake up crying. And the same thing happened to me. And my husband was not with us.”
Others are fleeing persecution: Sudanese Mother, “There is racism in Sudan, between Muslims and Christians. The soldiers or the policemen come and they take half of what I earned, and they say: ‘that is for us’. But they don’t behave like this with everyone, only with Christians from Eritrea. If you try to say no, they will either kill or jail you.”
Ignoring root causes Two main routes into Europe are used by refugees: the Aegean route via Turkey, Greece and the Balkans which is now virtually closed off, and the Mediterranean crossing from North Africa which is fraught with dangers.
Having travelled for months across unforgiving terrain, suffered abuse and exploitation en route, refugees arriving in Europe all too often find themselves in an unwelcoming, hostile environment, one in which the debilitating politics of fear, intolerance and division has increasingly influenced decisions on immigration generally and an approach to those seeking refuge.
Full article on www.herald.co.zw