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The German interior ministry announced they will no longer be sending people to Hungary until Budapest ensures those transferred are dealt with according to European procedures.

A spokesman for the ministry added: Without such assurance, there would no referrals until further notice.

Under the European Unions so-called Dublin rules, migrants and refugees should be sent back to the first European country they arrive in.

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Hungary has seen an influx of migrants across its border with Serbia, which has been the scene of violent clashes in the past.

But there have been damning claims the country, lead by Eurosceptic stalwart Viktor Orban, has been flouting international and EU law.

The Hungarian parliament approved plans on March 7 to detain migrants in camps on the countrys border with Serbia.

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Aid workers help migrants up the shore after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece

But some migrants confined in the camps have complained of beatings from border authorities.

After being set upon by dogs, one refugee even claimed guards took selfies with him.

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Without such assurance, there would no referrals until further notice

German interior ministry spokesman

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations refugee agency chief, this week called for a suspension of transfers of asylum seekers until the Hungarian authorities bring their practices and policies in line with European and international law.

Germany waived Dublin rules for refugees at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.

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But after the number of people arriving in the country passed one million last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was forced to take measures to limit arrivals.

Germany sent 294 asylum seekers back to Hungary in 2016, according to official figures.

Asylum applications in Hungary fell from 177,000 in 2015 to just 29,000 last year.

In the first two months of 2017, there were just 912 applications.

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Germany to STOP migrant deportations to Hungary over fears of 'poor treatment' at camps - Express.co.uk

Media coverage of the European migrant crisis often focuses on the migrants themselvescapturing their stories as millions escape violent conflicts and crushing poverty.

In Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior, Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano consider the smugglers involved in transporting migrants throughout Europe. Although many smugglers are viewed as saviors, others give little regard to the human rights issues. The excerpt below addresses how European policies limit asylum-seekers and lead them to depend on dangerous underground smuggling networks.

Europe is currently experiencing the biggest mass migration since the Second World War in what has come to be known as the migrant crisis. There is a natural impulseamong scholars, journalists, politicians, activists, and concerned citizensto frame their stories within a broader human rights narrative. They remind us of the unfairness of the world and the injustice of global inequality. What we want to focus on are the smugglers, traffickers, and networks of criminals that make their narratives possible.

These networks, tens of thousands of people strong, are facilitating an unprecedented surge of migration from Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia into Europe. Although the drivers of the current crisis are manyincluding but not limited to the concentric phenomena of conflict, climate change, global inequality, political persecution, and globalizationthe actualization of the crisis is enabled and actively encouraged by an increasingly professional set of criminal groups and opportunistic individuals that is generating profits in the billions.

Some smugglers are revered by the people they transport, hailed as saviors due to their willingness to deliver men, women, and children to safety and opportunity when no legal alternatives will offer them either. In a neoliberal world where the fates of individuals are couched in anodyne policy-speak, it is often the criminals who help the most desperate among us escape the inadequacy, hypocrisy, and immorality that run through our current international system. It is certainly true that smugglers profit from the desperation of others, but it is also true that in many cases smugglers save lives, create possibilities, and redress global inequalities.

Other smugglers carry out their activities without any regard for human rights, treating the lives of those they smuggle as disposable commodities in a broader quest to maximize profits. For all too many migrants and refugees, smugglers prove unable to deliver, exposing their clients to serious injury or even death. Even worse, some smugglers turn out to be traffickers, who, after luring unsuspecting clients with false promises of a better life, subject them to exploitation and abuse.

Meanwhile, efforts by European policymakers and their allies to stem the flow of migrants into Europe are pushing smuggling networks deeper underground and putting migrants more at risk, while at the same time doing little to address the root causes of mass migration. In lieu of safe, legal paths to seeking refuge and opportunity, new barriers are forcing migrants to pursue more dangerous journeys and seek the services of more established mafias and criminal organizations. These groups have developed expertise in trafficking drugs, weapons, stolen goods, and people, and were uniquely qualified to add migrant smuggling to their business portfolios.

The result has been a manifold increase in human insecurity, not only in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea crossings, which have received considerable attention in the international media, but also along the overland smuggling routes that cross the Sahara and the Central Asian Silk Road, penetrate deep into the Balkans, and continue into the grimiest corners of Europes trendiest capitals.

What was once a loose network of freelancers and ad hoc facilitators has blossomed into professional, transnational organized criminal networks devoted to migrant smuggling. The size and scope of their operations is unprecedented. Shadowy new figures have emerged, existing crime syndicates have moved in, and a range of enterprising opportunists have come forward, together forming a dynamic, multi-level criminal industry that has shown an extraordinary ability to innovate and adapt.

What we are witnessing is not just the story of traditional migrant smuggling on a larger scale. Rather, we are witnessing a paradigm shift in which the unprecedented profits associated with migrant smuggling are altering long-standing political arrangements, transforming economies and challenging security structures in ways that could potentially have a profound impact on global order.

Furthermore, the consolidation and codification of these networks also means that smuggling networks now seek to create contexts in which demand for their services will thrive. They have become a vector for global migration, quick to identify loopholes, exploit new areas of insecurity, and target vulnerable populations whom they see as prospective clients. They no longer simply respond to demand for smuggler services: they actively generate it.

In order for governments, aid groups, and organizations to better understand how to help refugees, we must get beyond the facile and counterproductive narratives of villains and victims, and we must start by examining smugglers dispassionately for what they are: service providers in an era of unprecedented demand.

Featured image credit: Refugees on a boat crossing the Mediterranean sea by Mstyslav Chernov. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

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The role of smugglers in the European Migrant Crisis - OUPblog (blog)

Europes refugee crisis is moving from newsprint to the pages of childrens books, as writers try to help parents help their kids understand an often disturbing drama shaping their world.

Distressing images of African migrants being plucked from heaving seas or the coffin-strewn aftermath of major sinkings have become a regular feature of television news bulletins since the crisis began spiralling out of control four years ago.

It is an unavoidable part of a new generations digital landscape and parents and teachers across Europe are having to find ways to enable youngsters to make sense of it.

Thats what writers and illustrators are for and the treatment of the issue was a prominent theme at this weeks Bologna Childrens Book Fair, the biggest of its kind in Europe.

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Author Antonio Ferrara was promoting his new book, Casa Lampedusa, a tale set on the Italian island on the frontline of the crisis.

There is a word of eastern origin, abracadabra, that we think was invented for children playing at magic. In reality, it means, by speaking, I create, Ferrara told AFPTV.

For me as an author, that means that something that does not exist, like trust in others or the desire to welcome foreigners, can be created, if a story is well-told.

Ferraras book is told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy who sees the islanders lives transformed by the waves of humanity being washed up, sometimes literally, on their shores.

Historical context

The book begins with something that Bono, the U2 singer, said he had heard a migrant say: Im not dangerous, I am in danger the author said.

The challenge is to touch childrens hearts before speaking to their minds and to get there you have to get away from what they see on the news and engage them in a fictional story that is founded in fact.

French publisher Actes Sud addresses the same subject with a new non-fiction book, Planete Migrants, by writer Sophie Lamoureux and illustrator Amelie Fontaine.

The book, which won an award in Bologna, seeks to place in a historical context the contemporary arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Europe from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

We show that it (mass migration) is not a new thing, and that people leaving their homes are doing so for political reasons, because of climate change or wars, said publisher Thierry Magnier.

What would I do?

Also being promoted in Bologna was the Italian translation of The Optician of Lampedusa, a haunting tale for all ages written by BBC journalist Emma-Jane Kirby.

The book, which she describes as a blur of fact and fiction, emerged from her award-winning reporting on how ordinary Italians were experiencing the migrant crisis.

It recounts the traumatic experience of Carmine Menna, an optician on the island who saved some of the survivors and witnessed many more perish in one of the deadliest sinkings, in October 2013, while out on a boat trip with his wife and friends.

Alerted by screams they first thought were seagulls, the couple and their crew hauled 47 people to safety. But 368 others perished, including a new mother with her baby still attached to her by its umbilical cord.

The book tells the story of the disaster through the eyes of the optician, describing how he is compelled to make life-or-death decisions about which desperately outstretched arm to clutch, then watch as others are engulfed by the waves.

It is definitely not a childrens book, but I have had many under-16s tell me it was so important to them, Kirby told AFP.

And the French edition seems to be being used by a lot of teachers in their classes, which is great.

The reporter was moved to write the book after finding herself, like her principal character, completely haunted by the story. I just could not get it out of my head.

Menna himself is not named: Kirby says the last thing he wanted was to be depicted as a hero.

And she thought the story worked best with a central character the reader knows little about beyond what he experienced as the optician who does not want to see and has his eyes forced open.

Kirby said: I really wanted people to identify with him so much, to put themselves on that boat and ask: what would I have done?

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Link:
Migrant crisis finds its way into children's books - Hindustan Times

Scenario 1 Slight increase in migration via N Africa to EU

The political and security situation in Libya remains unstable and the movement of migrants from Libya to the Mediterranean continues largely unhindered. The slightly rising trend in arrivals to Italy continues, with an expected seasonal spike during the summer months as smuggler activity becomes slightly more organised. The number of people stuck in Libya remains stable. Meanwhile the number of returns and readmissions from (and to) EU member states continues at a very low level.

Protection (especially for women, children and those in detention in Libya) is the overwhelming priority need as human rights abuses, including detention, trafficking and SGBV continue. Those stuck in Libya also need food, shelter and WASH services while advocacy to the Italian authorities to increase the processing of asylum claims and provide more effective community integration for migrants is also a priority.

Scenario 2 Large increase in migration and readmissions

Continued insecurity and ineffective law enforcement in Libya coupled with improved and expanded smuggling operations result in a significant increase in the number of migrants attempting to cross from north Africa to Europe. New routes through Egypt, and to a lesser extent, Morocco, open up. The numbers of deaths at sea increase. Meanwhile European countries place further restrictions on the movement of migrants, attempt to increase returns and Dublin transfers, and increase the use of detention for those awaiting return or transfer.

Priority needs are as for scenario 1, and protection for those who fear forced return/Dublin transfer and Increased search & rescue operations.

Scenario 3 Enforced closure of central Mediterranean route

To prevent a re-escalation of the migrant crisis, the EU adopts tougher measures to disrupt the smuggling operations in Libya and prevent migrants crossing to Italy via the central Mediterranean route. The number of arrivals in Italy reduces dramatically until swift adaptation of the smuggling business results in a gradual increase in arrivals via new routes through Egypt and possibly Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Increased numbers of people are stuck in Libya where humanitarian assistance and protection continues to be largely absent: conditions deteriorate while increasing numbers of migrants risk new, more costly and dangerous routes to Italy and Spain.

Throughout north Africa, protection and the provision of health and psychosocial services for those risking the new and longer routes to Europe is a priority. In Libya, protection (as for scenario 2 and for children against recruitment to armed groups) remains a priority along with the provision of all basic humanitarian services, including education and livelihoods.

Scenario 4 Improved internal security in Libya

The migrant crisis continues to dominate the EU political agenda resulting in increased efforts to stabilise Libya. Significant EU investment in Libya leads to a noticeable improvement in security and governance in Libya. Humanitarian access improves while improved internal security and border controls restrict smuggling operations from Libya via the central Mediterranean route. Legal pathways open up for asylum-seekers in North Africa. The number of migrants stuck in Libya continues to rise and, although conditions begin to improve and more migrants decide to remain in Libya, smuggling activity continues for the few determined to reach Europe. National humanitarian responders are overwhelmed.

Protection issues in Libya remain a priority and there is a need to scale up health, psychosocial services, food assistance, shelter, and WASH assistance. Meanwhile search and rescue operations need to adjust to the new routes.

Originally posted here:
Refugee/Migrant crisis in Europe: Scenarios - Possible developments in Libya, Italy, Spain and other transit ... - Reliefweb

Reliefweb describes possible developments in Libya, Italy, Spain and other transit countries over the next 6 months in its articleRefugee/Migrant crisis in Europe: Scenarios - Possible developments in Libya, Italy, Spain and other transit countries over the next 6 months

Scenario 1 Slight increase in migration via NorthAfrica to EU

The political and security situation in Libya remains unstable and the movement of migrants from Libya to the Mediterranean continues largely unhindered. The slightly rising trend in arrivals to Italy continues, with an expected seasonal spike during the summer months as smuggler activity becomes slightly more organised. The number of people stuck in Libya remains stable. Meanwhile the number of returns and readmissions from (and to) EU member states continues at a very low level.

Protection (especially for women, children and those in detention in Libya) is the overwhelming priority need as human rights abuses, including detention, trafficking and SGBV continue. Those stuck in Libya also need food, shelter and WASH services while advocacy to the Italian authorities to increase the processing of asylum claims and provide more effective community integration for migrants is also a priority.

Scenario 2 Large increase in migration and readmissions

Continued insecurity and ineffective law enforcement in Libya coupled with improved and expanded smuggling operations result in a significant increase in the number of migrants attempting to cross from north Africa to Europe. New routes through Egypt, and to a lesser extent, Morocco, open up. The numbers of deaths at sea increase. Meanwhile European countries place further restrictions on the movement of migrants, attempt to increase returns and Dublin transfers, and increase the use of detention for those awaiting return or transfer.

Priority needs are as for scenario 1, and protection for those who fear forced return/Dublin transfer and Increased search & rescue operations.

Scenario 3 Enforced closure of central Mediterranean route

To prevent a re-escalation of the migrant crisis, the EU adopts tougher measures to disrupt the smuggling operations in Libya and prevent migrants crossing to Italy via the central Mediterranean route. The number of arrivals in Italy reduces dramatically until swift adaptation of the smuggling business results in a gradual increase in arrivals via new routes through Egypt and possibly Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Increased numbers of people are stuck in Libya where humanitarian assistance and protection continues to be largely absent: conditions deteriorate while increasing numbers of migrants risk new, more costly and dangerous routes to Italy and Spain.

Throughout north Africa, protection and the provision of health and psychosocial services for those risking the new and longer routes to Europe is a priority. In Libya, protection (as for scenario 2 and for children against recruitment to armed groups) remains a priority along with the provision of all basic humanitarian services, including education and livelihoods.

Scenario 4 Improved internal security in Libya

The migrant crisis continues to dominate the EU political agenda resulting in increased efforts to stabilise Libya. Significant EU investment in Libya leads to a noticeable improvement in security and governance in Libya. Humanitarian access improves while improved internal security and border controls restrict smuggling operations from Libya via the central Mediterranean route. Legal pathways open up for asylum-seekers in North Africa. The number of migrants stuck in Libya continues to rise and, although conditions begin to improve and more migrants decide to remain in Libya, smuggling activity continues for the few determined to reach Europe. National humanitarian responders are overwhelmed.

Protection issues in Libya remain a priority and there is a need to scale up health, psychosocial services, food assistance, shelter, and WASH assistance. Meanwhile search and rescue operations need to adjust to the new routes.

Link:
Migrant crisis: four possible scenarios - vestnik kavkaza