Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Europe is employing ‘double standards’ in treatment of refugees: Save the Children

Europe is employing ‘double standards’ in treatment of refugees: Save the Children

European countries are employing “double standards” in their treatment of refugees who arrive via the Mediterranean Sea compared with those from Ukraine, a newly published Save the Children report warns.
About one in 50 refugees die or go missing while crossing the Mediterranean during dangerous journeys to Europe, the “Safe for Some” report found. Of those who arrived safely by sea, 20 percent were children.

The charity contrasted the treatment of refugees arriving from the Mediterranean with those granted entry from Ukraine: About 8 million people, 40 percent of whom were children. Those leaving Ukraine “have not faced violence, pushbacks, or had to rely on smugglers when fleeing violence in their country,” Save the Children said.

The report highlighted efforts by European governments to help Ukrainian refugees access accommodation, education and medical care under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.

This stands in contrast to the “pushing back” of refugees from Syria who arrive by sea, the organization said, with “almost twice as many refugees from Ukraine having claimed protection under the directive as those who applied for asylum in 2015 and 2016” during the European migrant crisis.

Save the Children Senior Advocacy Adviser Daniel Gorevan, the author of the report, said: “The response to that crisis was dysfunctional at best and cruel at worst.

“It ushered in and hardened measures that continue to restrict the ability of children to seek asylum in the EU — to contain those who arrived, and deter others from coming.

“It doesn’t need to be this way. The welcome extended to Ukrainian families proves European countries can work together to protect traumatized and vulnerable children escaping war.”

Save the Children said: “With safe and legal ways for children to reach Europe and claim asylum closed off, 90 percent of refugees granted protection in European countries are forced to use precarious routes across land and sea.”

The deaths that occur at sea are a result of “harsh and draconian” measures by European countries to prevent migrants entering Europe, it added.

Further restrictions imposed on refugees regarding movement between European countries means that children often face difficulties in reuniting with their families, the charity said.

“The fact that family reunification can take many years in some European countries increases the risk of trafficking and exploitation of children as they attempt to reach families on their own,” it warned.

In compiling the report, Save the Children spoke to refugee children who had experienced violence during their journeys to Europe. Some were stripped naked and forced to stand in the cold, others suffered electric shocks.

A 10-year-old boy who arrived in Greece from Syria said: “It was very difficult. We were walking in the woods for hours, without food or water. We were just walking and praying that everything will be fine.

“But 100 meters before the police station a van took us. There I had a mental breakdown and was not doing well … the police asked us to strip naked and I refused to take everything off.”

The boy’s mother told the organization: “They took us back to the river and they had some really flimsy boats there … we couldn’t see anything and I couldn’t see my son.

“I didn’t know where he was and I was screaming to the masked men that I am not going anywhere without my son.

“On the other side we could see among the trees a man with a gun.”

Gorevan said: “A new European approach — one which puts the rights of all children at the heart of asylum policies — is possible.

“The EU is negotiating a Pact on Asylum and Migration — it has an opportunity and an obligation to put children’s rights at its heart.

“All children fleeing conflict must be offered safe and legal routes to safety, protection, and support to rebuild their lives.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
China Criticizes US for Vetoing UN Ceasefire Resolution in Gaza
Saudi Arabia ranks first in UN index for e-government services in MENA
Israel Records 20% Drop In GDP, War In Gaza Is The Reason
Saudi Arabia's FDI Inflows Grow with New International Standards
Venture Capitals Power Up Across MENA Region
PM Modi Announces Opening Of New CBSE Office In Dubai
January Funding for MENA Startups Totals $86.5 Million
Saudi Arabia accelerates digital economy growth through Nvidia partnership
Israel unveils tunnels underneath Gaza City headquarters of UN agency for Palestinian refugees
Israel deploys new military AI in Gaza war
Egypt threatens to suspend key peace treaty if Israel pushes into Gaza border town, officials say
Saudi Arabia Warns Of A "Humanitarian Catastrophe" If Israel Moves On Rafah
US University To Shut Qatar Campus Due To "Heightened Mideast Instability"
Facebook and Instagram Ban Iran's Supreme Leader
Defense Technology Showcase Held in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports rise 2.5% to $6bn in November 2023: GASTAT
Rolls-Royce Executive Encourages Saudi Women to Tap into Their Inner 'Superhero' for Success in Defense Industry
Saudi Arabia launches National Academy of Vehicles and Cars
Saudi Tourism Minister Reveals Plan for 250,000 New Hotel Rooms by 2030
SAR to more than double eastern network passenger capacity with new trains deal
Saudi Arabia Enhances National Defense with New Partnerships
Saudi Aramco Maintains Arab Light Crude Pricing to Asia for March
NEOM Establishes New York Office to Support Investors
Saudi Wealth Fund Draws in Over $25 Billion Worth of Investments in Three Years, Al-Rumayyan Reveals
The Saudi Kingdom's Ultimatum to Israel: A Win-Win Peace with Saudi Arabia and the Arab World, or a Lose-Lose Continued Occupation and Endless Conflict
Biden condemns anti-Arab hate after WSJ opinion piece calls Dearborn ‘jihad capital’
Turkey Releases Seven Hostages Captured by Pro-Gaza Gunman
Arab Parliament Commends Women's Contributions to Societal Development
British and Hungarian Foreign Ministers visited Lebanese leaders to stress the importance of enacting UN Resolution 1701
Yemen's Houthis Say They Targeted British Merchant Vessel In Red Sea
Donald Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for 'Historic' Middle East Policy
US lawmakers approve F-16 jet sale to Turkey following NATO expansion support
Saudi Arabia Climbs 25 Places in World Bank's National Statistics Indicator
Tourism Growth in Saudi Arabia Fuels Advancements in the Hospitality Industry," Says Rotana Official
Houthi Rebels Request Departure of UN Staff from Yemen, Including US and UK Personnel, within a Month
Modi Inaugurates Hindu Temple on Site of Demolished Mosque in India
Over 25,000 Deaths in Gaza Amid Israeli Offensive
Escalating Clashes in Gaza as Israel Distributes Leaflets to Assist in Locating Hostages
Turkey's First Astronaut Set to Launch for International Space Station Today
Head of Palestinian Investment Fund Warns More People May Die of Hunger Than War in Gaza
Palestinian Envoy Criticizes UK for Alleged 'Double Standards' in Policies Toward Israel
Morocco to Lead UN Human Rights Council in 2024
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Egypt has been identified as the leading military force among Arab nations and ranks 15th globally
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Iranian Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Receives Additional Prison Sentence
"Gazans Urge Israeli Forces to Target Hamas in Leaked Audio"
Biden States US and UK Airstrikes on Houthis Were a 'Defensive Action
Large Pro-Palestine Rally in London as Gaza Conflict Hits Day 100
South Africa Urges World Court to Halt Israeli Actions in Gaza
×