border closures

The shutdown of the Western Balkans route to Europe has left thousands of migrants and refugees stuck in limbo and facing an uncertain future. Rather than being places of safety, Balkans countries have failed to offer them protection and dignity, instead subjecting them to violence and intimidation.

When European leaders discuss border closures by countries on the Western Balkans migrant route at their meeting in Brussels today, they put border security ahead of people’s safety, Oxfam criticized.

Selective border closures and quota for people on the move greatly increase human suffering and clearly infringe international and European law that protect the right to seek asylum, a coalition of 26 NGOs criticise in a joint statement.