New UNHCR/IOM/MMC Report Highlights Excessive Horrors Confronted by Migrants and Refugees on Land Routes to Africa’s Mediterranean Coast
Geneva, 5 July –Refugees and migrants proceed to face excessive types of violence, human rights violations and exploitation not simply at sea, but additionally on land routes throughout the African continent, in the direction of its Mediterranean shoreline. That is in accordance with a brand new report launched immediately by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Company, the Worldwide Group for Migration (IOM) and the Combined Migration Centre (MMC), titled “On this journey, no-one cares in case you reside or die” (Quantity 2).
With extra individuals estimated to cross the Sahara Desert than the Mediterranean Sea – and deaths of refugees and migrants within the desert presumed to be double these taking place at sea – the report casts mild on the a lot much less documented and publicized perils going through refugees and migrants on these land routes.
Spanning a 3-year knowledge assortment interval, the report additionally warns of a rise within the variety of individuals making an attempt these perilous land crossings and the safety dangers they face.
That is partly the results of deteriorating conditions in nations of origin and host nations – together with the eruption of recent conflicts within the Sahel and Sudan, the devastating affect of local weather change and disasters on new and protracted emergencies within the East and Horn of Africa, in addition to the manifestation of racism and xenophobia affecting refugees and migrants.
The report additionally notes that throughout components of the continent, refugees and migrants are more and more traversing areas the place rebel teams, militias and different prison actors function, and the place human trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, pressured labour and sexual exploitation are rife. Some smuggling routes are actually shifting in the direction of extra distant areas to keep away from energetic battle zones or border controls by State and non-State actors, subjecting individuals on the transfer to even higher dangers.
Among the many litany of dangers and abuses reported by refugees and migrants are torture, bodily violence, arbitrary detention, demise, kidnapping for ransom, sexual violence and exploitation, enslavement, human trafficking, pressured labour, organ elimination, theft, arbitrary detention, collective expulsions and refoulement.
Felony gangs and armed teams are reported as the primary perpetrators of those abuses, along with safety forces, police, navy, immigration officers and border guards.
Regardless of commitments undertaken by the worldwide group to avoid wasting lives and handle vulnerabilities, in accordance with worldwide regulation, the three organizations warn that present worldwide motion is insufficient.
Large gaps in safety and help prevail throughout the Central Mediterranean route, pushing refugees and migrants to maneuver onward on harmful journeys. Particular help in addition to entry to justice for survivors of assorted types of abuse isn’t obtainable wherever on the routes. Insufficient funding and restrictions on humanitarian entry (together with in key places resembling casual detention centres and holding services) are additionally hampering help.
On their half, UNHCR, IOM, companions and several other governments have stepped up life-saving safety companies and help, identification and referral mechanisms alongside the routes – however humanitarian motion will not be sufficient.
The organizations are calling for concrete, routes-based safety responses to avoid wasting lives and scale back struggling, in addition to a push to handle the basis causes of displacement and drivers of irregular actions– by means of optimistic motion on peacebuilding, respect for human rights, governance, inequality, local weather change and social cohesion, in addition to the creation of protected pathways for migrants and refugees. These ought to span nations of origin, asylum, transit and vacation spot.
The organizations hope the report’s findings will bolster motion to handle the present gaps within the response in the direction of individuals on the transfer.
The report is accessible right here: https://publications.iom.int/books/journey-no-one-cares-if-you-live-or-die
For extra info, please contact:
IOM: media@iom.int
UNHCR: Shabia Mantoo, mantoo@unhcr.org, +41 79 337 7650
Combined Migration Centre: Asma Arfaoui, International Communication Officer, asma.arfaoui@mixedmigration.org
