Save the Children is the latest human rights group to join calls for concerted action to help refugees and migrants in the Western Balkans. 500 unaccompanied and 400 children with family currently at Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing risks from smugglers, traffickers and border authorities.
Tighter border controls and pushbacks at the European Union’s border and between EU countries led to an increase in violence and other abuses. Save the Children is now calling on the EU to make sure child protection measures are implemented for all migrant children.
The agency wants ongoing reforms of EU migration legislation in the following fields:
- sharing responsibilities to address the suffering of children in search of safety
- reunification with family members already living in Europe
Age assessment procedures lacking
On the Balkans migration route, there are hundreds of identified children, but over 2,300 people are sleeping in inadequate conditions. According to Save the Children, there are minors still unidentified, because proper age assessment procedures are lacking.
A predictable and avoidable crisis
In January, lots of other human rights organisations called for support to help the ongoing migrant emergency in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They state that the European Union has provided over 88 million euros in assistance to Bosnia and Hercegovina in order to help the migration management capacity over the past 3 years, but the country failed to identify suitable facilities.
In conclusion, the current humanitarian crisis was predictable, but also entirely avoidable.
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