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Law Society Gazette | gazette.ie
COMMENT | VIEWPOINT
Jan/Feb 2017
25
PIC: EPA/ SIMELA PANTZARTZI
absconding, and we are now facing a situation
in which there are tens of thousands of missing
child migrants in the EU.
Qualified staff and clear guidance to
identify children at risk are often lacking,
and children face legal and practical obstacles
to access asylum procedures. Children are
far too often held in detention. While this is
nominally for their protection, the negative
effects on children frequently traumatised by
civil war or other conflicts – and all they have
witnessed and experienced on the long journey
to Europe – are immeasurable.
Refugee hunters
Unfortunately, the difficulties of the refugees
and other migrants do not stop once the issue
of quality reception and care has been solved.
On the contrary, one could say that they are
only beginning.
We see that violence, harassment, threats
and hate speech targeted at refugees and
WE ARE NOW FACING A SITUATION
IN WHICH THERE ARE TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF MISSING CHILD
MIGRANTS IN THE EU
migrants are pervasive across Europe, with
‘refugee hunters’ in some places terrorising
those crossing the border. There is also
evidence that online hate speech is growing.
Perpetrators are often members of the
general public who do not belong to a specific
politically or ideologically motivated group –
a disturbing illustration of the fact that hatred
has moved from the margins to the middle of
society.
With challenges to human rights from
almost every quarter, the FRA’s resources are
currently strained to the limit. Nonetheless, we
maintained a small but permanent presence
in the so-called hot spots in Greece for
most of 2016. In both Greece and Italy, we
provided legal and practical human rights
advice to the EU and national authorities
dealing with registration, first reception and
accommodation, asylum, and the return of
those whose asylum requests have been turned
down. In this context, we have been working
with the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, to
train staff at reception centres on fundamental
rights protection and site management.
We are seeing many brave people at the