UNICEF: Refugee Children at Risk During Long Stays in German Shelters
A study by the U.N. children’s fund said child asylum seekers in Germany are spending long periods in shelters, where they are vulnerable to abuse and do not have adequate medical care or education.
The UNICEF report praised Germany’s efforts to respond to the arrival since 2015 of more than 1 million asylum seekers, including 350,000 children and teenagers. But it found that many children spend months or years in shelters that are unhygienic, overcrowded and put them at risk of abuse.
Under German law, children should not spend more than six months in the mass shelters, but the UNICEF study found 22 percent of families waited up to a year to be relocated.
The report also found only one-third of children in shelters go to schools or kindergartens, and they receive worse medical treatment for chronic or psychological conditions than German children.
“Non-cash benefits, lack of private space, non-lockable sanitation facilities and the experience of violence and conflicts lead to dangerous moments and a hindrance of the development of refugee children and young people,” said report coauthor Adam Naber from the Federal Association for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees in Germany.
The study is based on an anonymous survey of some 447 employees and volunteers at asylum shelters between May and September 2016, as well as interviews with refugee families and children and youth welfare experts.
Drowning Deaths Triple off Libyan Coast Compared to Last Year
The International Organization for Migration said the number of deaths on the Mediterranean passage between Libya and Italy has more than tripled this year compared to the same period last year.
At least 481 migrants or refugees have died or gone missing up to March 19, up from 159 during the same period in 2016, according to IOM figures.
Meanwhile, 16,248 people have arrived in Italy, compared to 13,825 in the same period last year. Around 6,000 people were rescued in the Mediterranean in the past few days.
“We have yet to complete March, and we are already racing at a pace of arrivals that has exceeded anything we’ve seen before in the Mediterranean,” IOM spokesman Joel Millman said.
“This is typical of spring, getting very busy, but it’s not typical to have the numbers be so high this early and the corresponding deaths that go with it.”
Australia Resettled 10,000 Syrians in 18 Months
Australia said the country was close to fulfilling its September 2015 pledge to resettle 12,000 Syrian refugees.
More than 10,000 Syrians have been resettled in Australia in the 18 months since, and the remaining 2,000 have been issued with visas and will arrive in the coming months, immigration minister Peter Dutton said.
Australia promised in 2015 to resettle the Syrians as soon as possible, in addition to 13,750 other refugees.
Recommended Reads:
- The Guardian: Why Denying Refugees the Right to Work Is a Catastrophic Error
- Der Spiegel: Eight Myths About Migration and Refugees Explained
- Agence France-Presse: Inside The ‘Humanitarian Corridor’ Offering Syrian Refugees a New Life in Italy
- World Economic Forum: If Europe’s Refugees Were a Country, This Is What It Would Look Like
- NBC News: Here’s a Place in Trump’s America Where Refugees Are Welcomed