Refugees & Asylum

4WardEver UK

Nearly 90,000 children sought asylum in Europe in 2015

Blurred refugees on a boatsource: The Independent
published: 3 May 2016

Nearly 90,000 unaccompanied children sought asylum in Europe in 2015, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to reach a place of safety.

According to the latest EU data, 13 per cent of the applicants were younger than 14, travelling without their parents to the EU.

Statistics agency Eurostat said the number of unaccompanied minors has quadrupled since 2014.

EU leaders disagree on how to handle Europe’s migration crisis, with anti-immigration sentiment growing even in countries that traditionally supported helping people seek refuge.

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4WardEver UK

Countries line up to criticise Australia for its treatment of asylum seekers

Asylum Anonymitysource: Sydney Morning Herald
published: 10 November 2015

Australia has copped a barrage of criticism at a United Nations human rights forum over its treatment of asylum seekers on the high seas and in offshore detention centres.

Countries taking part in the review also noted Australia’s inadequate treatment of Indigenous people, the high level of violence against women, and the spread of Islamophobia.

But Australia was defiant as dozens of countries called on it to wind back or end boat turn-backs and mandatory detention, and grant refugees their full rights.

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4WardEver UK

Europe must act now on refugee deaths crisis

Refugee & Iron Wire Fencesource: IRR News
published: 5 November 2015

As borders become militarised zones, and internal policing of refugees and migrants intensifies, the IRR continues to monitor asylum and migration- related deaths.

Across Europe the humanitarian crisis continues as refugees continue to flee war-torn countries such as Syria. Front-line volunteers, who have witnessed the suffering first-hand over the summer and autumn, have now sent an open letter to the governments of Europe, giving ‘advance notice to all of you, the leaders of Europe, that people will be freezing to death soon on our borders if you do not act now’.

European film-makers and film professionals have joined the call, stressing that, ‘The guilt doesn’t just lie with the traffickers: Europe cannot deny its share of responsibility’.

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