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A national petition launched by a Calgary lawyer is calling on the federal government to temporarily suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement.

The 2004 Canada-United States agreementrequires refugees to make an asylum claimin the first possible country they reach. Under the agreement, Canada is unable to consider asylum for anyone who enters from the U.S., which isdeemed a safe country in which to apply for asylum.

The agreement has recently been linked to an increasing number of people trying to illegally cross the border from the U.S. into Canada.

"The situation has changed due to immigration and refugee policy changes in the States, as evidenced by the situation on ground with refugee claimants not feeling that they will be able to go through a fair process in the U.S. and are seeking to enter into Canada," saidJeremyBarretto, a lawyer with the group behind thepetition, Canadians for Welcoming Refugees.

Hundreds of refugees in the U.S. have been braving long walks in freezing winter temperatures to cross Canadaoutside of regular border crossings.

Barretto says as of Feb. 17 this year,80 individuals have crossed Manitoba's border on foot and he's concerned more people will risk injury or death if the situation isn't resolved.

"Every person is important and we should make sure that people who are fleeing persecution are welcome to make a claim and go through a fair process in Canada," he said.

The request is supported by over 200 Canadian law professors and refugee law experts, and sponsored by Liberal MPDarshanKang.

Under the agreement, it can be suspended for three months, and be extended another threeby either party. The group is asking the government to merely suspend the agreement and monitor the situation.

"This is a non-partisan issue, this is about helping people and protecting people who are fleeing persecutions, so I think there will be much more advocacy to come," he said.

Calgary MP Michelle Rempel agrees that something must be done to keep migrants safe, but feels it must be done in a way that protects the integrity of the immigration system.

"We shouldn't be glossing over the fact that this is, in fact, illegal," she said.

"Both our countries, the United States and Canada, have systems by which people's asylum claims are evaluated. We need to rely on those systems to work."

Rempel is the opposition critic for immigration, refugees and citizenship. She says those asylum-seekers are putting themselves at risk.

Rempelsays there has to be a team effort between all political parties and the media to communicate to people that there are proper, legal and safe ways to enter Canada.

"I grew up in Winnipeg, and the first concern that Ihave is this is a very unsafe activity," she said."It's very cold, there's a lot of risk involved here and people shouldn't be doing this."

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Petition calls on federal government to act on migrant crisis - CBC.ca

Highlights

The trend of increased numbers of refugees and migrants on the Central Mediterranean route continues in 2017 - more than 80 per cent of all sea arrivals during the first 6 weeks of the year were registered in Italy.

Major risks confronted by refugee and migrant children and women along this route remain to be detention, extortion, gender-based violence, abuse, exploitation and drowning at sea.

In January 2017, UNICEF supported outreach teams identified 1,793 children at risk in Turkey and across Europe, while 739 children, including adolescents, joined structured education activities in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In addition, 256 babies and infants accessed IYCF services, and 1,438 children received culturally appropriate basic supplies in Serbia and Italy.

As UNICEF enters into its third year of response to the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe, in January it launched its Humanitarian Appeal for 2017 requesting a total of US$ 43,452,000 for continued interventions in response to this complex crisis.

In line with the inter-agency Refugee and Migrant Plan for Europe, UNICEF interventions will help government institutions and civil society organizations address the immediate, as well as middle to long-term needs of refugee and migrant children by sustaining service provision while strengthening national capacities in the areas of child protection, education and child rights monitoring.

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

6,856 # of arrivals in Europe through Italy, Greece and Spain in January 2017 (UNHCR, 17 February 2017)

26 per cent children among arrivals in Italy and Greece in January 2017 (UNHCR, 17 February 2017)

386,635 # of child asylum-seekers in Europe between January and December 2016 (Eurostat, 8 February 2017)

98,688 # of child arrivals in Europe through Greece, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria in 2016 (UNHCR, 9 February 2017)

33,424 # of unaccompanied and separated children arriving in Europe through Greece, Italy and Bulgaria in 2016 (UNHCR, 11 January 2017)

24,700 # of estimated stranded children in Greece and other southeastern European countries as of January, 2017 (UNHCR, 31 January 2017)

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

In January 2017, children made up 26 per cent of the 6,8561 refugees and migrants, who arrived in Europe through Italy, Greece and Spain. According to latest available data, out of the 381,892 refugees and migrants who arrived in Europe last year through the Mediterranean and by land through Bulgaria, 98,688 were children (including 34,500 unaccompanied or separated children). This number represents less than one per cent of all children, affected by war, violence and instability in top countries of origin (Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Nigeria). During the same period, 386,635 first-time asylum claims were registered by children across Europe2- more than two thirds of them were in Germany, followed by France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden.

The trend of increased numbers of refugees and migrants on the Central Mediterranean Route, observed during the second half of 2016, has continued in 2017. Out of the 6,856 sea arrivals in Europe in January 2017, 65 per cent were registered on Italian shores. Although the proportion of children among arrivals in Italy is relatively small, there are significant concerns with major risks faced by refugees and migrants (among whom children are the most vulnerable) along the route through North Africa and the Mediterranean, which include drowning at sea, detention, extortion, gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation by smugglers and armed groups.

National authorities and agencies continue to improve the reception conditions for refugee and migrant children in Greece, Italy, Germany and across the Balkans. Yet many refugee and migrant children have been living for months, sometimes a year, in reception and accommodation centres, which do not provide age and gender-appropriate shelter, protection and services. Children and families mental health and overall well-being has been affected by long waits and an uncertain future due to backlogs in asylum and relocation procedures.

Despite the recent acceleration of relocation of refugees and migrants from Greece and Italy, by 31 January only 3,048 children, including 233 UASC3, have been relocated from Greece and Italy (only 1 from Italy). According to the European Commission, there are many challenges related to the relocation of UASC, one of the major ones relating to married children (particularly when they are under the age of 17) since many Member States have legal obstacles to allow the relocation of this category of separated children (e.g. the adult marrying a minor may be sentenced). As a consequence, they reject relocation requests submitted.

With the improvement of weather conditions in the past few weeks, irregular cross-border movements increased again, leading to border incidents and further complication of the situation in Serbia (currently hosting 7,900 refugees and migrants, including 3,103 children).

Read this article:
UNICEF Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe: Regional Humanitarian Situation Report #20, 15 February 2017 - ReliefWeb

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kilap Gueye and Abdellatif Yakoubou arrived in Italy at two very different moments in history.

LONDON The head of Europe's police agency said it would "look again" at the largest migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean this year after an investigation by Reuters and BBC Newsnight exposed a gap in the response by law enforcement.

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt At around 2 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, a large blue fishing boat carrying hundreds of African migrants and their children capsized just off the coast of Egypt.

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A hot meal. Dry clothes. A smile. Sometimes the first friendly face in months for hundreds of thousands of migrants who have come to Europe in the past two years is a volunteer aid worker.

ASOTTHALOM, Hungary On a recent evening on Hungary's border with Serbia, a fleet of police trucks raced along the dusty boundary.

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Tun Tun Win and his co-workers from Myanmar thought life was fine at the Thammakaset chicken farm in central Thailand, where they reared hundreds of thousands of birds for export to the European Union.

AGADEZ, Niger On Mayango Jallahs second attempt to reach Europe, he recalls, the dinghy he was in came within sight of southern Spain.

STOCKHOLM Swedes rarely use cash, but building firm owner Piotr cant get enough of the stuff.Every week, he spends hours racing from ATM to ATM using four credit cards to withdraw up to 80,000 Swedish crowns ($9,400). He needs the cash, he says, to pay the undocumented immigrant workers he employs.

ABUJA/DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A promising student who dreamed of going to university, Mary was 16 when a woman approached her mother at their home and offered to take the Nigerian teenager to Italy to find work.

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Europe's Migrant Crisis | Reuters.com

Talking about Ross Kemp: Libya's Migrant Hell, the ex-EastEnders actor claimed that the level of the problem is unknown to many.

"The facts aren't the facts, and they're not alternative facts, we just don't know the facts. I think the facts are being conservative - we don't know how many people are dying," explained the 52-year-old.

However, viewers were less than impressed with what Ross was saying on the show, with one saying: "@SkyNews @RossKemp @skysarahjane he's trying to get an Audience for his Piffle."

Another posted: "@RossKemp on @SkyNews was pathetic. Sad little man trying to promote his programmes with lies. Another publicity seeking leftie luvvie."

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Migrants try to reach a rescue craft from their overcrowded raft, as lifeguards from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue all 112 on aboard

We don't know how many people are dying

Ross Kemp

Ross even replied to the second tweet, with him responding: "whatever your views, watch before you make a judgement. We can't deal with migrant crisis without understanding it."

The actor also revealed that he felt "guilty" whilst filming the show, saying: "I feel incredibly guilty. Aid organisations cannot get in there, it's too dangerous.

"Nothing really is being done to help people in that country - Libya is effectively in free fall."

Ross' documentary also looks at the growing sex trade that exists in the country and how young girls are entrapped in torturous situations.

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He explained: "We estimate that 80% of women trafficked in [the South] are sent there to be sex slaves. These girls are incredible young, trapped there and so many of these girls were pregnant."

He added: "So many of them are being raped, tortured and killed."

The show sees Ross travel the gruelling seven day journey across the 1000 miles of Libyan desert, witnessing the horrific route for himself.

Express.co.uk has contacted Ross Kemp's management for a comment.

Ross Kemp: Libya's Migrant Hell will air tomorrow on Sky1 at 9pm.

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Sky News viewers slam 'publicity seeking' Ross Kemp as he opens up about migrant crisis - Express.co.uk

REFUGEES could head to Europe in their millions if democracy collapses in Afghanistan, the British Defence Secretary has said.

In a stark warning, he said there would be consequences if the nation could not maintain democracy.

Sir Michael Fallon predicted that three, four million young Afghan men would be sent out by their villages to find a home in Europe.

He added: And they are heading here, they are heading for Germany or Britain."

It comes following disturbing reports in the media that young migrant men from Afghanistan raped a young Austrian student and claimed their didnt know it was illegal.

PA

And they are heading here, they are heading for Germany or Britain

People moving from Afghanistan would add to the massive numbers of migrants fleeing from war-torn Syria.

The warning comes as the fragile democracy in Afghanistan hangs on a knife edge.

It seems increasingly likely that British armed forces will increase their military presence in the country to help maintain democracy.

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A growing migrant crisis all over Europe as desperate refugees live in camps struggling to survive.

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Earlier this month Armed Forces Minister Mike Penning told MPs Britain may increase its military presence in the country.

NATOs 15-year mission to restore stability to the war-torn nation has seen the deaths of 456 British troops and MoD civilians.

But Sir Michael stressed the importance of keeping stability in the nation with British troops.

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Brave soldiers who fought in Afghanistan reveal their war scars for new book Wounded: The Legacy of War by Bryan Adams.

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Private Jaco Van Gass, The Parachute Regiment, injured in Afghanistan, aged 23, May 2011

He added that the area was still under threat from transnational terrorist groups and that these could still destroy democratic rule.

British troops lowered the flag at Camp Bastion in October 2015, ending 13 years of combat operations in the area.

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But many troops still remain in the country in support roles.

The Defence Secretary advised that NATO should continue to honour their pledge to help the Afghan government and should stay with it, as long as we can, until that job is done.

Daily Star revealed that child refugees remain the most at risk after they were banned from entering Britain, with many being targeted by human traffickers.

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Millions of refugees may cause ANOTHER migrant crisis 'if war-torn Afghanistan collapses' - Daily Star