World agape as number of refugees escalate

 

The number of refugees and migrants worldwide has assumed alarming proportions with concerned agencies at gape as to what solutions lay ahead.

At the last count, more than 300,000 refugees and migrants have used the dangerous sea route across the Mediterranean so far this year with almost 200,000 of them landing in Greece and a further 110,000 in Italy.

The UN refugee agency, revealing the latest statistics in Geneva recently, said this represents a large increase from last year, when around 219,000 people crossed the Mediterranean during the whole of 2014.

“At the same time, some 2,500 refugees and migrants are estimated to have died or gone missing this year, trying to reach Europe. This death toll does not include yesterday’s tragedy off Libya where numbers of deaths are still unconfirmed,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press briefing in Geneva.

Last year some 3,500 people died or were reported missing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Fleming said that despite the concerted efforts of the joint European search and rescue operation under FRONTEX, which has saved tens of thousands of lives this year, the Mediterranean Sea continues to be the “deadliest route for refugees and migrants”.

She added that in the last few days, even more people had lost their lives in three separate incidents.

The Libyan Coast Guard carried two rescue operations on Thursday morning, seven miles off the port town of Zwara. Two boats carrying an approximate total of 500 refugees and migrants were intercepted and survivors taken to shore in Libya.

“An estimated 200 people are still missing and feared dead. A still undetermined number of bodies were recovered and taken to shore. The Libyan Red Crescent has been helping with the collection of the bodies,” Fleming added.

Last month, rescuers coming to the aid of another boat off the Libyan coast found 51 people dead from suffocation in the hold.

“According to survivors, smugglers were charging people money for allowing them to come out of the hold in order to breathe,” Fleming detailed.

She quoted one survivor, Abdel, 25, from Sudan as saying: “We didn’t want to go down there but they beat us with sticks to force us. We had no air so we were trying to get back up through the hatch and to breathe through the cracks in the ceiling. But the other passengers were scared the boat would capsize so they pushed us back down and beat us too. Some were stamping on our hands.”

Fleming said that the bodies of 49 persons were found in the hold of another boat in a similar but separate incident. They are thought to have died after inhaling poisonous fumes.

Also last month, a rubber dinghy carrying some 145 refugees and migrants ran into trouble when the person steering it made a manoeuvre that caused the dinghy to tilt dangerously to one side.

“Some people fell into the sea and two men jumped into the water to rescue them. Panic ensued and people began to jostle and shove and, as a result, three women were crushed to death on the dinghy,” Fleming said.

Of those who fell in the water, 18 are still missing and believed to have drowned. The survivors were rescued and taken to Lampedusa, including a two-month old baby of one of the women who died. Most of the survivors are reported to be in a critical condition, suffering from shock, cuts and bruises.

Many of the people arriving by sea in southern Europe, particularly in Greece, come from countries affected by violence and conflict, such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan; they are in need of international protection and they are often physically exhausted and psychologically traumatized.

UNHCR appeals to all governments involved to provide comprehensive responses and act with humanity and in accordance with their international obligations.

All European countries and the EU must act together in response to the growing emergency and demonstrate responsibility and solidarity.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has raised alarm that the large influx of refugees and migrants to countries of the WHO European Region, which has escalated in the past few months, calls for an urgent response to their health needs. WHO said that actions are needed between and within countries as well as among sectors.

“Adequate standards of care for refugees and migrants into Europe are not only important for population health but are fundamental for protecting and promoting their human rights as well as those of the host communities. This is in the full spirit of Health 2020, WHO/Europe’s framework for health and well-being and of World Health Assembly resolution WHA61.17 on migrants’ health, a milestone in WHO global work in this area.”, the global health body noted

WHO disclosed that to date in 2015, about 350 000 refugees and migrants have reached European countries, adding to the almost 2 million who have taken shelter in Turkey.

In spite of a common perception that there is an association between migration and the importation of infectious diseases, there is no systematic association. Communicable diseases are primarily associated with poverty. Refugees and migrants are exposed mainly to the infectious diseases that are common in Europe, independently of migration. The risk that exotic infectious agents, such as Ebola virus or Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV), will be imported into Europe is extremely low, and experience has shown that, when it occurs, it affects regular travellers, tourists or health care workers rather than refugees or migrants.

The agency notes that Europe is well prepared to respond to such events.But stresses the importance of remaining vigilant.

However, experts recommend that focus should be on ensuring that each and every person on the move has full access to a hospitable environment and, when needed, to high-quality health care, without discrimination on the basis of gender, age, religion, nationality or race.

This has been adjudged the safest way to ensure that the resident population is not unnecessarily exposed to imported infectious agents. WHO said it supports policies that provide health care services to migrants and refugees, irrespective of their legal status.

Refugees and migrants are not a homogeneous group, and we must ensure that our care systems respond to their diverse needs. This is particularly relevant for refugees and migrants who are exposed to violence, including gender-based violence, sexual violence and forced prostitution. It is also relevant for sexual reproductive health and rights, mother and child health, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, mental health, emergency care and protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.

A good response to the challenges of people on the move requires health system preparedness and capacity, including robust epidemiological data and migration intelligence, careful planning, training and, above all, adherence to the principles of equity and solidarity and to human rights and dignity.

High-quality care for refugee and migrant groups cannot be addressed by health systems alone. Social determinants of health cut across sectors such as education, employment, social security and housing. All these sectors have a considerable impact on the health of refugees and migrants.

Health issues related to population movement have been on the WHO agenda for many years, especially in the European Region. We must ensure that our health systems are adequately prepared to provide aid to refugees and migrants while at the same time protecting the health of the resident population. This requires cooperation among the countries of origin, transit and destination.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe is providing technical and on-site assistance to affected countries, with assessment of and support to their capacity to address the health needs of refugees and migrants. In addition, the Regional Office is providing policy advice on contingency planning, training of health personnel and delivery of emergency kits, each covering the needs of a population of 10 000 for 3 months.