Protest & State Violence

Amnesty International has released a new report showing how in Greece, Romania and Spain protesters have been beaten and kicked, sprayed with tear gas, and shot at and wounded with rubber bullets by police officers. And these abuses have gone un-investigated and unpunished. More

Migrants….at the borders of Europe

FACTS

People come to Europe for different reasons. Some flee their country to escape persecution or war and may apply for asylum in Europe, to be recognised as refugees. Others are migrants, leaving behind poverty and chronic unemployment to seek a better future for themselves and their families.

In recent years, European countries have stepped up border control measures in an attempt to prevent people from reaching Europe. Some of these measures have resulted in or contributed to serious human rights violations. European countries have forced people back to countries where the risk of human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention, was already well known.

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Check out a report by ITUC on what unions are doing to help migrant workers in France

Trade union rights are human rights. Find out how the crisis is being used to roll them back

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Migrants’ boats often get into danger at sea. At least 1,500 people are known to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in 2011. Some of these deaths could have been prevented. The desire of some European countries to prevent “irregular migration” has undermined safe and timely rescue at sea. Desperate men, women and children have been left at sea for days while countries argue about where they should be taken. In some cases, people died on these boats while distress calls went unanswered.

The human cost of Europe’s immigration control policy and practice is high. Today, the lack of scrutiny and transparency surrounding border management practice leaves a yawning gap which can trap migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees leaving their fundamental rights violated.

FIGURES

18,000 men, women and children have died along Europe’s borders since 1988, according to accumulated press coverage
1,500 people drowned or went missing trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in 2011 while uprisings shook several North African and the Middle Eastern countries
900,000 people fled Libya during the conflict in 2011, mainly to neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt
58,000 irregular migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees managed to reach European shores in 2011. Of these, 28,000 were Tunisians who mostly landed on the island of Lampedusa. These figures are a far cry from warnings of up to 1 million refugees “pouring into Europe” through the Mediterranean
301,000 people applied for asylum in the 27 EU countries in 2011. The population of Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp is 463,000
14% of all refugees in the world live in the 27 EU countries. This amounts to less than 1.4m refugees living in the EU. Pakistan alone hosts over 1.9m refugees

More on Amnesty International’s campaign for the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe and at its borders.

More on Amnesty campaigns around Human Rights in Europe here