migrants

One year on from the historic United Nations summit for refugees and migrants, the international community has failed to make meaningful progress towards meeting the goals of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

Rape, torture and slave labor are among the horrendous daily realities for people stuck in Libya who are desperately trying to escape war, persecution and poverty in African countries, according to a new report by Oxfam and Italian partners MEDU and Borderline Sicilia.

France is unlikely to be able to guarantee safety and human rights for asylum seekers in Libya, Oxfam said in reaction to French plans to set up a processing centre in Libya for asylum seekers in the North-African country.

While EU governments are meeting in Tallinn today to approve plans for more cooperation with Libya in order to stop people from entering Europe, Oxfam and its partners are hearing new accounts of murder, torture and other horrific abuses being suffered by refugees and other people who have fled through Libya - a place they call “hell”.

The EU's partnership approach for working with African countries on managing migration has to date failed to provide safe and regular channels for migration or offer long-term solutions that improve the lives of people on the move.

A touring exhibition by Oxfam and Amnesty International promoting solidarity with refugees and other migrants has received a prestigious European Excellence Award in Brussels today. The “Museum without a Home”, which showcases items donated by Greeks to migrants, was awarded the best European NGO campaign in 2016.

A touring exhibition by Oxfam and Amnesty International’s Greek Section showcasing items donated by Greeks to refugees and migrants has received two Gold Ermis Awards from Greece’s most prestigious advertising and communications body. 

Already more than 1,000 migrants have been reported dead or missing in 2017 while trying to cross the Mediterranean. EU leaders must expand safe and regular routes so migrants are not forced to risk their lives in search of safety and dignity, Oxfam said in response.

People who are trying to access the EU are being routinely abused by law enforcement officials in countries in the Western Balkans. Governments in the region must immediately end these violations and ensure safety and dignity for people on the move in their territories.

EU leaders in Malta say they are committed to human rights and international law, but their support for a deal that Italy has struck with Libya exposes refugees and migrants to suffering and death, Oxfam says.