UNHCR
This is a
summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Cécile Pouilly – to
whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the
Palais des Nations in Geneva.
 |
| Refugees wrapped in blankets and winter clothing cross the border from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to Serbia in freezing temperatures in January 2016. © UNHCR/Igor Pavicevic |
We are deeply worried at the situation of refugees and migrants faced with
harsh winter conditions across Europe. We have stepped up our assistance in
several countries, including Greece and Serbia. Saving lives must be a priority
and we urge States authorities across Europe to do more to assist and protect
refugees and migrants.
In Greece, we have transferred hundreds of people to better accommodation
in Lesvos, and Chios over the past few days. However we are deeply worried at
the situation of some 1,000 people, including families with young children, who
continue to live under unheated tents and dormitories in Samos.
Our distribution of winter items across Greece, including on the islands,
continues, with close to 360,000 items given out, including high thermal
blankets, sleeping bags as well as winter boots and clothes. The delivery of
humanitarian aid carried with partner organizations is coordinated with the
Ministry of Migration Policy. We reiterate our call to further accelerate
procedures on the islands to allow faster transfers to the mainland, where
better accommodation is available.
In Serbia, over 82 per cent of the 7,300 refugees, asylum-seekers and
migrants living in the country are now accommodated in heated government
shelters. However, we are concerned at the situation of some 1,200 males who
still stay rough in inadequate informal sites in Belgrade city centre,
including up to 300 unaccompanied or separated boys. Over the past weeks we
transferred roughly 1,200 people to designated government shelters, including
190 over the last few days. As a life saving measure, we continue to provide
heaters, blankets and winter clothes to residents of informal sites who have
not yet agreed to move to government centres. We urge the authorities to
continue their efforts to expand emergency shelter capacities, with particular
consideration to the specific needs of unaccompanied children.
Meanwhile, UNHCR is extremely concerned by reports that several refugees
and migrants have lost their lives trying to enter or move across Europe, including
five since the beginning of the year, due to the freezing weather.
On 6 January, the bodies of two Iraqi men were found in southeastern
Bulgaria after they had crossed from Turkey. They are believed to have died
from the effects of the cold and exhaustion. In the same region of Bulgaria,
early January, the body of a young Somali woman was found by the authorities.
Two Somali teenagers travelling with her were hospitalized with frostbite after
five days in a forest in extreme cold. The Bulgarian authorities have
reinforced patrols in the area since to prevent fatalities due to the weather.
At the Greece-Turkey land border, on 3 January, a 20-year-old Afghan man
died of complications resulting from exposure to the extreme cold after
crossing the Evros River at night when temperatures were below -10°C.
We reiterate our call to increase safe pathways for the admission of people
in need of protection, including via resettlement, family reunification,
private sponsorship and other mechanisms to provide a viable alternative to
irregular movement and reliance on human smugglers.
Given the harsh winter conditions, we are extremely concerned by reports
that authorities in all countries along the Western Balkans route continue to
push back refugees and migrants from inside their territory to neighboring
countries. In several cases, refugees and migrants have alleged that police
have subjected them to violence. Many have also reported that their phones were
confiscated or destroyed, thus preventing them from calling for help once
stranded. Some even reported items of clothing being confiscated thus further
exposing them to the harsh winter conditions.
These practices are simply inacceptable and must be halted, as they place
the lives of refugees and migrants at heightened risk and violate their most
fundamental rights. For those that are unwilling to seek asylum States must
provide them with the option of safe and dignified return instead.
We are also deeply concerned at the abuses perpetrated against refugees and
migrants by criminal gangs, including kidnapping, physical abuse, threats and
extortion. We urge European states to enhance their efforts to tackle these
criminal networks and ensure the safety of refugees and migrants.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Geneva, Cécile Pouilly, pouilly@unhcr.org, +41 79 108 26 25
- In Geneva, William Spindler, spindler@unhcr.org, +41 79 217 3011
- In Geneva, Babar Baloch, Baloch@unhcr.org, +41 79 513 95 49
- In Greece, Roland Schoenbauer, schoenb@unhcr.org, +30 69 48 088 544
- In Serbia, Mirjana Ivanovic-Milenkovski, ivanovim@unhcr.org, + 381 63 275 154
13/1/2017
