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Support for Turkey's struggle in managing the migrant crisis should not be reduced to financial issues only, said the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) spokesperson Tuesday, who added that Turkey has a limit to the burden it will carry on migration.

mer elik criticized the European Union for "reducing the issue of migration to merely financial aid," which he viewed as "a lack of vision, unsustainable in the long run, a grave mistake."

He said the aid will be provided to Syrian refugees, not Turkey, and the EU desires to protect Europe from migration and its negative effects through the funds.

"Turkey bears this burden, but there is a limit to Turkey's bearing of this burden. Therefore, the determination of close cooperation should not be reduced to financial issues only, but should be viewed from a broader perspective," he said.

Last week, the European Union agreed on additional funding of 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) for migrants in Turkey.

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the decisions taken regarding Turkey at the EU summit in Brussels are far from containing the expected and necessary steps.

"The proposed new financial aid package is for Syrian refugees, not Turkey, and is essentially a step to be taken to ensure the EU's own peace and security. Reducing migration cooperation to merely a financial dimension is a big mistake. Aiming for close cooperation in this area would be beneficial for everyone," it said.

elik went on to say that the 2016 migration agreement between Turkey and the bloc should be addressed in all aspects rather than partial approaches.

In March 2016, the EU and Turkey reached an agreement to stop irregular migration through the Aegean Sea and improve the conditions of more than 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deal has been successful in stemming the flow of migrants and refugees, but the EUs reluctance to take in refugees from Turkey and bureaucratic hurdles in transferring promised funds for refugees have led to sharp criticism from Turkish politicians.

Ankara criticized the EU for failing to fulfill its pledge to provide funding for migrants and refugees in Turkey as part of the pact while allocating billions of euros to Greece.

Five years on, the pact is failing as Turkey struggles with increased numbers of migrants, while the EU is more divided than ever over its asylum policy.

Turkey is hosting 6 million migrants, with nearly 4 million from Syria, its migration authority says. That is 2 million more than in 2016 and a heavy burden on a country that only had 60,000 asylum-seekers in 2011 before Syria's civil war broke out.

elik also reiterated that Greece violated the 1988 Athens Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by declaring war drill zones in the Aegean Sea during the summer tourism season, a period not allowed by the deal.

He said the attitude Greece adopted is against the deal as well as discussions between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"As a result of Greece's tendency to maintain the policy of tension, Turkey issued a Navtex," said elik. "Turkey has no choice but to issue a Navtex ... The whole world must see that tensions originate in Greece."

Turkey last week announced a new NAVTEX in the Aegean Sea's international waters in retaliation for Greece's recent NAVTEX announcement that violated the two countries' bilateral agreements.

According to the information received from security sources, with the Athens MoU signed between Turkey and Greece in 1988 it was decided not to carry out exercises in the international waters of the Aegean Sea and not to declare a military training area during the busy summer tourism season between June 15 and Sep. 15. Taking into account the moratorium period established by the MoU, Turkey did not declare an area in international waters in the Aegean Sea for military training between June 15 and Sept. 15 during the planning of its 2021 operations-training activities. Greece, on the other hand, did not comply with the agreement and declared a training/practice area for this year, including the period determined by the moratorium. Despite Turkey's respectful attitude and diplomatic initiatives to the moratorium, Greece did not make any changes in the areas it had declared in order to comply with the moratorium.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlt avuolu recently said that Greece must halt its provocations in order for relations to grow and to avoid further escalation. The bilateral ties between the two neighbors have become tense due to conflicts concerning drilling rights and maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and Turkish Cyprus.

On the Cyprus issue in particular, elk said decisions about the island at last week's EU summit did not present a fair attitude.

"The EU failed to see the realities on the island once more, as seen in the summit decisions. We emphasize once again that the EU needs to see the truth on the island, and that there is a state and society that shares equal status with the Greek Cypriots, as the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)," he said.

Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiation. Turkey has also criticized the EUs stance on the Eastern Mediterranean conflict, calling on the bloc to adopt a fair attitude regarding the dispute and give up favoring Greece under the pretext of EU solidarity.

Excerpt from:
'Cooperation on migration should not be reduced to financial aid' | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

A third of migrant and refugee women in a new survey said they experienced some form of domestic and/or family violence.

And temporary visa holders consistently reported proportionately higher levels of domestic and family violence, including controlling behaviours. Temporary visa holders also reported much higher patterns of migration-related abuse and threats (such as threats to be deported or separated from their children).

These are the main findings of a survey of nearly 1,400 migrant and refugee women across Australia, the most comprehensive of its kind in the country.

This was the first national study to look at the residency and visa status of migrant and refugee women, and the first to ask specific questions about controlling behaviours related to migration abuse.

The survey was conducted last year by Harmony Alliance, a migrant and refugee women advocacy organisation, and the Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre.

While the survey is not a representative sample, and cannot provide a comprehensive account of the experiences of all women from these backgrounds, it offers a unique snapshot of the lives of those who were willing to share their stories with us.

The findings provide an understanding of the needs of women across Australias diverse migrant and refugee communities as we look towards a post-COVID-19 future.

The study also offers key insights into the diversity of these womens experiences, which are critical for informing policies and other measures to help support them in future.

Of the participants who had experienced domestic and/or family violence:

91% experienced controlling behaviours

47% experienced or witnessed violence towards others and/or property

42% experienced physical or sexual violence.

The majority of women in our sample who had experienced domestic and/or family violence had experienced more than one form of harm on multiple occasions.

While the majority of perpetrators were male partners or former partners, family members and the womens in-laws were also responsible for this violence.

This survey is also among a handful in the world to comprehensively focus on migrant and refugee womens experiences with victimisation, their perceptions of policing, and their trust in communities and institutions.

Of the women who were victims of crimes like theft, burglary, threatening behaviour or property damage, nearly 40% said they believed it was motivated by bias and/or prejudice.

Read more: 'If you call 000 ... I will send you back to your country': how COVID-19 has trapped temporary visa holders

The majority of the women we surveyed perceived the police as just and fair. However, the women who had experienced domestic and/or family violence and were the victims of other crimes viewed the police as less procedurally just and fair than the rest of our participants.

Older people had higher levels of trust in the police compared to younger participants. And those with higher levels of education reported lower levels of trust in police compared to those with high school or trade/TAFE qualifications.

While the women generally had high trust in the institutions included in the study, religious institutions were consistently rated at the bottom. The greatest levels of trust were for Australias health care system and state education systems. Only 30% of the sample trusted their neighbours a great deal or a lot.

Our survey was conducted in late 2020 to take into account the impact of COVID-19 when asking about employment and financial hardship.

Of those participants who were employed in 2019, 10% lost their jobs due to the pandemic. There was an increased reliance on government payments as their main source of income during the crisis.

Temporary visa holders experienced an increase in hardship, more so than permanent visa holders and Australian citizens. Our understanding of the hardships of temporary visa holders and those in precarious work is limited, however, due to their somewhat limited representation in the study.

We also analysed key differences among the women based on a range of factors. Age was one area where we saw major differences. Two key findings:

Younger participants reported lower levels of trust compared to older participants across all institutions. The difference was most stark when it came to religious community leadership, with nearly a third of participants under the age of 44 saying they had no trust in these individuals.

Younger participants also reported greater levels of hardship after the pandemic began, compared to older participants. Those who lived in areas with high disadvantage reported the highest level of hardship.

As Australia moves towards a post-pandemic national recovery, our findings highlight the urgent needs among those most affected by the crisis, including young people and temporary visa holders.

Our report also shows that embracing and celebrating Australias diversity means paying greater attention to the needs of migrant and refugee women to ensure their safety and security in all aspects of their lives.

Read more: We need to restart immigration quickly to drive economic growth. Here's one way to do it safely

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One third of migrant and refugee women experience domestic violence, major survey reveals - The Conversation AU

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said that as many as 30 minor girls and boys were rescued last week owing to the steps taken by the state government to end human trafficking and migrant workers exploitation, news agency PTI reported.

In a statement, Soren explained that on June 24, a crackdown by the state police department led to the rescue of 30 children from the Ranchi railway station and Birsa Munda airport. They were being trafficked to Delhi, the chief minister added, as reported by PTI.

Soren further stated that his government is providing 2,000 per month to trafficking survivors towards living expenses until they attain 18 years of age. He added that besides the financial aid, the girls would get free education and vocational training that would enable them to become independent.

Soren said that a proposal has been given for the setting up of an anti-human trafficking unit, especially in the sensitive regions of the state. Furthermore, women police officers will also be appointed across the state to keep a check on human trafficking in the rural areas. The chief minister stated that the government will soon come up with a detailed plan to rehabilitate children whose parents have succumbed to Covid-19.

Addressing the issue of migrant workers, who suffered severely during the nationwide lockdown last year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Soren said that his government was concerned about the workers welfare.

According to the PTI report, the chief minister pointed out that despite the pandemic-induced migration crisis, the state has handled the matter sensitively. He said earlier this month his government ensured the safe return of Jharkhand-based migrant workers from Uttar Pradeshs Deoria district. Thirty migrant labourers including women and children were brought back to Jharkhand, he added.

Interestingly, earlier this month, a skill mapping of 250,056 migrant labourers, who returned home to Jharkhand, showed that 177,186 or 70 per cent of the returnees are skilled labourers, while the rest 72,871 are unskilled workers, according to the state governments assessment. The mapping was done on Sorens instructions with the aim for the government to provide them with jobs as per their skills.

Read more:
Jharkhand CM says 30 minors rescued from being trafficked to Delhi - Hindustan Times

McAllen, Texas Mayor Javier Villalobos says his city is starting to be affected 'quite a bit' by the migrant surge at the southern border.

McAllen, Texas Mayor Javier Villalobos said he is "happy" former President Trump is visiting the southern border and told "Varney & Co." that "hopefully this brings attention to the issues we have."

"We welcome any elected official,whetherstate or federal," Villalobos, a Republican who was electedmayor of McAllen earlier this month, told Fox Business' Stuart Varney on Tuesday. "We need to dosomething to tighten ourborders and we are not necessarily talking necessarily about a wall."

VARNEY: THE LEFT WILL TRY TO GRAB WALL STREET WEALTH

Villalobos stressed that "we need some enforcement somehow, one way or another, because it is starting to affect us quite a bit now." He noted that in McAllen, "we used to have maybe 500 crosses through McAllen."

"This past week weve had over 1000 a day and its starting to be a little burdensome on the city," he continued, stressing that"we shouldnt have to bespending a single dollar on federalissues."

Villalobos made the comments one day before Trumpis scheduled to visit the U.S.-Mexicoborder with Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Trump described the border as an "unmitigated disaster zone." The president said in a press release that he had accepted Abbott's invitation to visit the "decimated" border, a deteriorating situation that he attributed to the Biden administrations decisions to reverse many of his immigration policies.

McAllen, Texas Mayor Javier Villalobos says he is 'happy' former President Trump is visiting the southern border and says 'hopefully this brings attention to the issues we have.'

President Biden scrapped a number of his predecessor's immigration policies, which included wall construction and having asylum seekers remain in Mexico instead of in the U.S. while they wait for their cases to be heard. The moves have led to a record surge inmigrants, including unaccompanied minors, that has strained capacity at immigration facilities.

Trumps visit to the southern border comes five days after Vice President Kamala Harris visited El Paso, Texas, nearly 100 days after being appointed by President Biden to address the immigration crisis at the southern border.

During a press conference, Harris touted "extreme progress" made by the Biden administration in tackling the migrant surge despite inheriting a "tough situation" due to the "disastrous effects" of the Trump administrationsborder policies. When asked why she visited El Paso, instead of areas that have been more acutely hit, like the Rio Grande Valley Sector, Harris explained that El Paso was where a number of Trump policies, like the Remain-in-Mexico policy and child separation policies, were implemented.

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When Varney asked Villalobos if he has "heard anything fromVice President Harris," he responded,"No actually."

"This is a lions den. This is where the action is," he explained. "I think this is a placewhere they can talk and they whatthe issues are."

"You can go to El Paso, you can go to different areas, but here we have a lot of peoplecoming in and we need to do something," he continued. "Weve been expending our municipal funds and we shouldnt have to."

Villalobos added that he would welcome President Biden or any other federal or state official to come see the issues his community is facing due to the immigration crisis.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to FOX Business request for comment.

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Fox News Brittany De Lea and Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.

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Texas mayor hopes Trumps border visit brings attention to the issues we have - Fox Business

Vice President Harris' border trip is coming under fire as critics point out that she's steering clear of the areas that have been hardest hit by the ongoing immigration crisis.

Harris' trip to El Paso, Texas, on Friday came 93 days after President Biden first tapped her to deal with the "root causes" of the border crisis.

EXPERTS PONDER TRUE MOTIVE OF HARRIS' BORDER TRIP

"If Vice President Harris truly wanted to assess the situation at the border, she'd head to McAllen and sites along the Rio Grande Valley," a senior border official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Fox News. "It will be worth seeing if this trip extends beyond a rubber stamp of I visited the border."

Tom Homan, former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief, said Harris "needs to go to the epicenter of this crisis."

"Instead of going there and talking to the men and women dealing with that crisis and taking care of thousands of unaccompanied children, she picks El Paso because she doesn't want to see the devastation that her administration's policies have caused," he said.

"Now, El Paso, is seeing a rise in crossings, absolutely a rise in drug crossings, but when you look at the crisis, why would you not go to the epicenter and talk to the men and women of Border Patrol and see what's going on?" Homan noted separately in a Friday interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

A Border Patrol who insisted on anonymity told Fox News he was "not surprised" Harris took so long to visit the border. "I'm not surprised. She doesn't think this is a problem."

Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff pointed out that Harris' trip to El Paso allows her to avoid harder-hit areas in the Rio Grande Valley, where even Democratic officials have been critical of the Biden administration's response to the border crisis.

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector has been especially hard hit by the crisis.

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Border Patrol agents in that sector are seeing a significant increase in large groups of migrants hitting the border, with more groups in fiscal year 2021 already matching the number encountered in the past two years combined.

"With 3 months remaining in the fiscal year, RGV has already matched the total number of large groups apprehended in the previous two fiscal years combined," RGV Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings tweeted Monday.

Brooke Singman and Adam Shaw contributed reporting.

Originally posted here:
Critics slam Harris for avoiding hardest-hit area of migrant crisis - Fox News