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Plan to help governments on illegal immigration
By MaltaMedia News
Oct 8, 2007 - 8:41:37 AM
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In order to help governments, UNHCR has begun implementing a 10-point
plan which sets out key areas in which action is required to address particular issues in countries of origin, transit and destination, Reuters Alertnet reported UNHCR as saying. The plan is being carried out in the light of certain concerns which are still present despite the decrease in crossings by illegal immigrants.
Humanitarian organizations fear that people smugglers are
taking longer and more dangerous routes and using smaller boats to
avoid detection and interception. But people are still willing to take
the risk and hand over large amounts of money to people "whose last
concern is the welfare of their clients," said UNHCR's Assistant High
Commissioner for Protection Erika Feller.
UNHCR estimates that more than 500 people have died during crossings in
the Mediterranean this year. Non-governmental organizations believe the
figure could be closer to 1,000.
The UNHCR figures include 93 dead and 226 missing in the Sicilian Channel.
Information provided by Italy and Spain suggest that for the first time in years, the number of boat people arriving on their shores from North Africa has decreased considerably, the number of people crossing irregularly from Turkey into the Greek islands has increased dramatically.
In Italy, some 14,000 people have arrived this year, against some 22,000 for the whole of last year. Meanwhile, a total of 1,780 people arrived in Malta by boat in 2006, compared to about 1,500 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the number of boat people applying for asylum varies widely. In Malta, roughly 70 percent of those arriving by sea apply for asylum and just under half of them are recognized to be in need of international protection. They receive either refugee status or another form of protection.
In the case of Italy, one third (6,000 people) of those arriving on Lampedusa last year applied for asylum. This amounted to roughly 60 percent of all asylum applications in Italy. On average, almost half of all asylum applicants in Italy are recognized as refugees or granted protection status.
The UNHCR plan, while recognizing that border controls are essential for combatting
international crime, including smuggling and trafficking, stresses the need for practical protection safeguards to ensure that
such measures are not applied in an indiscriminate or disproportionate
manner and do not lead to refugees being returned to countries where
their life or liberty would be at risk.
The plan identifies the need for training and clear instructions for
border guards and immigration officials on how to respond to asylum
applications, and how to meet the needs of separated children, victims
of trafficking and other groups with special needs. It also calls for
appropriate reception arrangements to be set up to ensure that the
basic human needs of people involved in mixed movements are met.
Source: UNHCR as reported by Reuters Alertnet.
Read more about this issue on MaltaMedia's special feature: Lanċa
Ġejja u Oħra Sejra: Malta and its migrations.
© Copyright 2007 by MaltaMedia.com
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Latest update:
Oct 10, 2007 - 11:19:07 AM CET
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