In 2015, faced with a mounting humanitarian crisis on its borders, the European Union introduced a plan to relocate some asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy to other EU countries. Yet Member States’ reluctance to make concrete relocation pledges and asylum seekers’ resistance to being moved to destinations they viewed as less desirable meant that a year on, far fewer had been relocated than was originally envisioned. As EU policymakers debate new proposals to deal with future … [Read more...]
Preventing a Monsoon Health Crisis in Bangladesh
Praem Mehta and Katie Kuschminder The human rights violations and targeted violence against Rohingya communities in Rakhine State, Myanmar have forced over 687,000 people to flee to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017. As of 30 March there are now more than 898,000 Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded, inadequate camp conditions in Cox’s Bazar. The crisis is thus far from over. With the monsoon season imminent, heavy rains and flooding will increase the vulnerability of camp residents, … [Read more...]
Boris Johnson Wants ‘Safe, Dignified Return’ for Rohingya – Why it’s Way too Early to Mention ‘Return’
Since 25 August 2017, 688,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh in one of the worlds worst humanitarian crisis of 2017. The Rohingya are a minority group that have long been persecuted in Myanmar, with new waves of violence and burning of villages beginning in August 2017 as an ethnic cleansing. The UK has pledged 59 million pounds to the crisis and Boris Johnson has visited both Bangladesh and Myanmar this week to promote ‘safe, dignified return’ for the Rohingya. Late last … [Read more...]
Afghan Refugee Journeys: Onwards Migration Decision Making in Greece and Turkey
This article entitled 'Afghan Refugee Journeys: Onwards Migration Decision Making in Greece and Turkey' has just been published in the Journal of Refugee Studies. This article is an output of the 'Understanding Irregular Migrants Decision Making Factors in Transit'. Please see the abstract below and the article is available free here. This article contributes to the lack of research on refugee journeys by examining the factors influencing Afghan refugees’ plans to stay in Greece or Turkey or … [Read more...]
Libya is not Turkey: why the EU plan to stop Mediterranean migration is a human rights concern
EU leaders have agreed to a plan that will provide Libya’s UN-backed government €200 million for dealing with migration. This includes an increase in funding for the Libyan coastguard, with an overall aim to stop migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. Based on the perceived policy success of the 2016 EU-Turkey deal on stopping migrant boats reaching Greece from the west coast of Turkey, known as the eastern Mediterranean route, this deal is intended to have a similar effect on the … [Read more...]