New UK-Tunisia migration deal condemned by human rights groups
The UK’s new £5 million deal with Tunisia to control migration flows into Europe is being strongly condemned by human rights organisations. The rights groups maintain that Tunisia should not be considered as a “place of safety” for vulnerable migrants rescued at sea.
According to The New Arab on February 3rd,the UK government has pledged this money to support initiatives in Tunisia that are aimed at “upskilling potential migrants” encouraging them to stay in Tunisia rather than risk dangerous border crossings into Europe.
The government has also said they will help fund the International Organization for Migration’s Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration (AVRR) programme, an initiative aimed at helping migrants with no legal right to remain in Tunisia return to their home countries.
The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy describing the deal as an effort to address the so-called “root causes of irregular migration”, reducing the large numbers of migrants who attempt to reach the UK via sea.
Despite this, the proposal has proved unpopular, being met with strong criticisms from human rights organisations, arguing that Tunisia’s role in border control may undermine the safety of migrants in the country.
The organisations have maintained that Tunisian authorities prior record of human rights violations, which go back many years make the country unsuitable for housing migrants. These violations have included violence against migrants , especially ones from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tunisia does not currently have a national asylum system, this and its failure to uphold international migrant protection standards, has caused further concern.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued joint statements speaking out against the EU’s plan and their cooperation with Tunisia on migration, they argued this repeats previous problematic partnerships such as one with Libya that led to widespread abuse and human rights violations.
Amnesty said: “European policies are obstructing people’s rights to leave any country and to seek asylum, containing refugees and migrants in countries where their human rights are at risk.”
They also criticised Tunisia’s use of violence during the capture of migrants at sea, these included high-speed manoeuvres that could capsize boats, violence against migrants, and the usage of tear gas.
The news of this controversial deal comes just 5 days after human rights groups accused the EU of complicity in the sale of Tunisian migrants to Libyan gangs
The New Arab, InfoMigrants, Maghrebi
