Forty-Two Migrants Hospitalized in Croatia After Stowing Away in Van
Croatian police discovered 67 people in dire health conditions packed inside a van they believe was headed toward Western Europe.
Forty-two of them were hospitalized after police stopped the van near the border with Bosnia during a routine traffic stop.
“Some of them were unconscious, some vomited when they were found,” Croatian health minister Milan Kujundzic said. “They were in serious condition, dehydrated and apparently have not eaten for five days.”
The group of mostly Afghan migrants included two boys aged 10 to 12, according to Croatian authorities. Two Bulgarians were arrested on suspicion of smuggling the group.
Croatia, a European Union country, was a popular transit point along the Balkan migrant route until countries tightened their borders this year. Now, thousands of migrants are stranded in neighboring Serbia as well as other countries along the route.
IRC: Syrian Children Work Long Hours, Face Abuse on Streets of Lebanon
The majority of Syrian refugee children working on the streets of Lebanon face long hours and violence, according to a study by the International Rescue Committee.
Some 1,500 Syrian children work on the Lebanese streets, many of them selling CDs or tissues, the IRC said. The humanitarian group polled children working in Beirut and Tripoli and found more than two-thirds work six days a week, more than half work six to 10 hours a day and more than 60 percent have experienced violence – including physical violence, verbal abuse and sexual harassment.
According to a recent United Nations report, 71 percent of Syrian refugee families in Lebanon live below the poverty line. Some 48 percent of primary school age refugee children are out of school in Lebanon, as well as 84 percent of secondary school age children.
Record Number of Migrants Reach Yemen Despite War
A record number of migrants and refugees have reached Yemen this year despite conflict and humanitarian crisis in the country.
The war in Yemen was expected to reduce the flow of migrants from the Horn of Africa crossing the Gulf of Aden, most of whom pass through the country onto wealthier nations like Saudi Arabia.
But their numbers have only increased, and few appear to have sought alternative routes to Europe or South Africa, according to the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMSS).
An estimated 111,504 migrants and refugees had arrived in Yemen as of November 30, 2016, surpassing a 2012 high of 107,532 arrivals, RMSS said. Around 83 percent of them came from Ethiopia and most of the others from Somalia. Of those from Ethiopia, 95–98 percent were from the persecuted Oromo ethnic group.
While some 180,000 Yemenis have themselves fled the country’s war into neighboring countries, the chaos in Yemen has also provided smugglers with an opportunity to avoid migration controls. However, some refugees and migrants arriving in Yemen end up getting stuck in the country due to fighting along the route, RMSS said.
Recommended Reads:
- The Guardian: E.U. Claims of Success in Curbing Niger Migrants Greeted With Scepticism
- The New York Times: Wonder and Worry, as a Syrian Child Transforms
- Deutsche-Welle: Funds to Halt African Migration ‘Will Benefit’ European Companies
- Oxfam: Less Than 3 Percent of 5 Million Syrian Refugees Resettled in Rich Countries
- Brookings: Addressing the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Recommendations for the Next Administration