As a champion when it comes to initiating laws that respect human rights, we feel that the EU should extend similar solidarity in managing the issue of safe integration of asylum seekers.
All will agree that most of our brothers and sisters in the EU are subjected to inhumane and degrading conditions while in detention facilities awaiting deportation. The practice doesn’t only leave much to be desired but also forms a grave human right violation.
In recent years, people have been fleeing to Europe in large numbers due to conflict, terror and persecution in their own countries. Most of the people on arrival seek international protection at the first point on arrival as in line with international protocols. However, some applicants have their asylum processed, while others denied.
However, it is important we look at migration in the broader perspective as more youth continue to embark on this clandestine migration through irregular means. There is an urgent need for countries to draw tangible solutions that will encourage youth to stay and contribute towards the development of their respective nations. Until then this mass movement will continue to be a hot debate for years to come.
In Tuesday’s edition of The Point, a Gambian activist based in Germany, Yayah Sonko has added his voice to the migration issue by calling on the European Union (EU) to establish meaningful reforms that promote respect for human rights and addresses victimisation of Gambian migrants during the deportation processes.
The establishment of needed meaningful reforms would not only help in promoting safe integration but would also help reduce some of the trauma most migrants face within the EU.
The activist made reference to numerous Gambian deportees, who have arrived back in The Gambia from the European Union member countries without proper assessment and consideration for their well-being. These incidents, he observed, involve deportees with mental health issues and have resulted in “loss of life” within Gambian communities.
It would be recalled that on 10 April 2024, the European Parliament voted in favour of the new rules on migration, followed by their formal adoption by the Council of the EU, on 14 May 2024, allowing the EU to tackle complex issues with determination and ingenuity. This will ensure that the Union has strong and secure external borders, that people's rights are guaranteed, and that no EU country is left alone under pressure.
In a nutshell the pact establishes a set of rules that are meant to help manage arrivals in an orderly way, create efficient and uniform procedures, and ensure fair burden sharing among member states.
We only hope that this new move serves as a benchmark in a move to bring changes to the burning issue especially in respecting their rights and guaranteeing their fundamental human rights.
Let’s always remember that migration is as old as human creation and people will continue to move in their numbers for various reasons.