IOM and UNHCR Express Their Sorrow Over Loss of Life at Nador-Melilla Crossing
Regarding this situation, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have expressed their deep sorrow and concern over the loss of life and those injuries reported,AtoZSerwisPlus.comreports.
In a statement issued on June 25, UNHCR stressed that together with the IOM, they called on all authorities to prioritize the safety of migrants and refugees and also to refrain from the excessive use of force and protect their human rights.
“These violent events highlight more than ever the importance of finding durable solutions for people on the move, in the spirit of the Global Compact for safe, orderly, and Regular Migration and the Global Compact for Refugees,” the statement reads.
In addition, IOM and UNHCR reiterate their call to the international community, in line with the principle of segregation of responsibilities, in order to strengthen access to safer routes.
At the same time, IOM and UNHCR provide alternatives to mitigate the resort towards dangerous travel and reduce the risk of such tragic events recurring in the future.
On June 22, the anti-racist group UNITED released some data showing that a total of 48,647 refugees, as well as migrants, have lost their lives since 1993.
According to the report, the staggering figure is around 8,000, which means higher compared to statistics published on World Refugee Day 2020, until when about 40,500 deaths were recorded.
On the other hand, the EU Border Guard Agency, Frontex, has revealed through its annual report for 2021 that cases of return, ill-treatment of migrants and lack of effective access to asylum procedures have been the main concerns of the 27-nation bloc.
Based on this report, Frontex points out that the most worrying situations were recorded in the Central Mediterranean route, which also remains the most affected route by irregular immigration for 2022, marking the highest figures since 2017 in Italy specifically.
On June 27, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor said that the criminalization of human rights groups in Greece is on the rise, especially where migrants and refugees are protected. At the same time, migrants are at risk of facing criminal charges.
