Public urged to act on migrant, refugee crisis

MANILA, Philippines - With the worsening migrant and refugee crisis in Europe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday reminded the public that the shocking images of children washed up on the shores of Europe must be “matched by action.”

The UN refugee agency urged the European Union (EU) to admit up to 200,000 asylum-seekers fleeing conflict zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan with hundreds of thousands of people risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

At least a quarter of those seeking refuge in Europe are children. In the first six months of this year, more than 106,000 children claimed asylum in Europe.

UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said the plight of children on the shores of Europe is neither by their choice nor within their control, and these children need and have a right to protection.

“There are heart-breaking images of children’s bodies washing up on the shores of Europe, lying suffocated in the backs of trucks crossing border, being passed over barbed wire fences by desperate parents. But it is not enough for the world to be shocked by these images. Shock must be matched by action,” he said in a statement.

The UNICEF urged countries to implement measures that will help migrant and refugee children.

Among UNICEF’s recommended measures are provision of essential services at all times, including health care, food, emotional support and education as well as adequate shelters for migrants and refugees that keep families together.

Countries should also deploy adequate numbers of trained child welfare experts to support children and their families; continue search and rescue operations; prevent the abuse and exploitation of migrant and refugee children; and put the best interests of children first in all decisions, including in asylum cases, the UNICEF said.

 “Our hearts go out today to the families who have lost children – off the coasts, on the shores, and along the roadsides of Europe. As the debates on policies proceed, we must never lose sight of the deeply human nature of this crisis,” Lake said.  

“And we should never forget what lies behind so many of the stories of families seeking sanctuary in Europe: terrible conflicts such as that in Syria, which already has forced some two million children to flee their country. Only an end to these conflicts can bring an end to the misery of so many,” he added.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in a statement that Europe “cannot go on responding to this crisis with a piecemeal or incremental approach. No country can do it alone, and no country can refuse to do its part.”