“During last year, more than 3,000 people have died on the EU Southern border. This makes it the most deadly border area in the world,” Martin Schulz, who has been a member of the European Parliament since 1994, said on Twitter.
Thousands of migrants have perished off European shores while trying to flee brutal regimes, religious persecutions and armed conflicts in North Africa. According to the International Organization for Migration, calculating migrant deaths is a true challenge, since the majority of governments do not publish death tolls, and counting the lives is left to civil society and the media.
Roughly 20,000 people have lost their lives over the past two decades in efforts to reach the European Union’s southern border, although it is still unknown how many have drowned or have been washed up dead on the coast of Africa.
In August, a boat with some 400 would-be migrants from Libya capsized off the Italian shore. Rescuers retrieved 24 bodies. The incident prompted a meeting on the issue between officials from Italy, the European Commission and the European borders agency Frontex, where Italy called for more EU support.
(RIA Novosti)
15/10/14
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For refugees, psychological trauma doesn't end in Germany...
ReplyDeleteAbout 30 percent of refugees and asylum seekers are considered traumatized. Unfortunately, the trauma doesn't always stop upon reaching Germany.
Ruan doesn't even notice the overcrowded dormitory in Cologne. The young man from Somalia only notices his constant inner restlessness. He cannot sleep well because of his nightmares. Again and again he watches as his family is killed in a militia attack right before his eyes.
Ruan himself has experienced abuse, and his sister Marula was raped. Smugglers took the last of their money. Their papers were lost on the boat that took them to Italy. From there they continued their flight across France and Holland to Germany.
They have already described their odyssey to authorities in Germany with the help of an interpreter. After probing questions and photographs taken by German authorities, they now prefer to be silent and not e photographed.
Humiliating identification procedures
If suspicious of illegal entry, German police are obliged to open an investigation and carry out so-called "identification measures." Pictures are taken and fingerprints are recorded.
In the case of missing papers and ambiguous information, the actual age of the refugees must be determined. Tooth positions and bone structure are considered - in a few cases also the presence of pubic hair. When these steps cannot determine a person's age X-rays of bones in the hand, chest or clavicle are taken by the Institute of Legal Medicine.
Medical associations, however, have called this practice "unethical" and point out that the "bone age" may even differ by several years from the actual age of a person. Moreover, X-rays may constitute a form of bodily harm.
Many young refugees find the experience humiliating, as talks with the investigating authorities revealed. Often they also complain about how they are brought from one place to another. At the request of the Berlin State Parliament in April 2013, the Berlin Senate admitted that minors were sometimes handcuffed while being transported: "to avoid being hurt by other or themselves and to prevent the escape.".......................http://www.dw.de/for-refugees-psychological-trauma-doesnt-end-in-germany/a-17998137
15/10/14