Displaying items by tag: asylum seekers

Nazeri Zubair’s travelling companion crushed a pill, dissolved it in water, and fed it to her two-year-old daughter to make the baby sleep for over a day. It was a requirement of the smugglers who were guiding the group from Serbia across Croatia’s border then into Slovenia; opening up possibilities of travelling without passport checks within 26 countries on Europe’s mainland. Over 90% of undocumented immigrants who enter the EU illegally use people smugglers at one stage of their journey, according to Europol. Nazeri came into contact with dozens of smugglers while traversing 12 countries. Finding them was as easy as finding a regular travel agent, through recommendations or at notorious hot spots such as Victoria Square in Athens. One led him through a minefield, and another across treacherous Mediterranean waters. Nazeri said children aged under 4 were systematically spoon-fed sedatives to keep them quiet. Smugglers refuse to take young families who won't administer drugs.

Greece’s parliament passed a bill on 15 May aimed at making asylum procedures simpler and faster and easing overcrowding in its refugee camps. Five camps on islands close to the Turkish coast hold more than double their capacity, and have been mired in violence over living conditions and delays in asylum claims that often take months to process. Human rights groups and the European Commission, which has offered Greece millions of euros in emergency aid, have criticised the government for not doing enough to manage the situation. Migration minister Dimitris Vitsas acknowledged that the bill ‘will not magically solve the refugee and migration issue’, but said the government wanted to reduce the wait for thousands of asylum seekers. Human rights groups criticised the bill, which foresees a shortened appeals procedure for rejected asylum seekers, saying it would lead to slapdash procedures violating refugees’ rights.

Many so-called asylum-seekers have refused to relocate to central and eastern Europe because the financial benefits there are not as generous as in France, Germany or Scandinavia. Now many believe a European Court ruling on 6 September, that the 28 member states must step up to the mark and accept their quota of migrants, highlights the degree to which the EU has usurped decision-making powers from countries and individuals. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said, ‘Let us not forget that those arriving have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture. Most of them are not Christians, but Muslims. This is an important question, because European identity is rooted in Christianity. Is it not worrying in itself that European Christianity is now barely able to keep Europe Christian? If we lose sight of this, the idea of a Christian Europe could become a minority interest in its own continent.’

The EU has taken legal action against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland for not complying with the order to accept migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The infringement procedure authorises the EU to sue members breaching their obligations with economic sanctions. Across the EU only 20,000 migrants have been relocated to date. Of the 28 EU members, only Malta has accepted its full quota. However, many so-called asylum-seekers have refused to relocate in central and eastern Europe, where economic benefits are less than in France, Germany or Scandinavia. Also hundreds who were relocated to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have fled to richer countries.

Since its launch last December, Clergy Hosting has attracted eleven clergy to take up the challenge and to offer hospitality to destitute migrants and asylum-seekers. They know through conversations that there are many more clergy and lay people who want to open up their homes and provide this vitally needed welcome. They are hosting an information evening in London on 20 April where clergy who are already hosting guests will be sharing their experiences alongside those being supported by Clergy Housing. People who attend this or any other open evening will learn how the Housing Justice scheme works and be able to ask questions about it.

The Church of Ireland has launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarises how the Church has supported asylum seekers and refugees, and highlights opportunities for church members to become more involved in this area of ministry and service. Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said: ‘This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises.’ Rt Revd Ken Good, chairman of the Northern Ireland working group, said, ‘It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably, depending on the emotional impact of media coverage. This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people’s fears and concerns.’