The course of forced migrations and the humanitarian crisis in Europe

Abstract

The current number of over sixty million displaced people in the world has largely surpassed the number of fifty million persons who were displaced during and immediately after the Second World War on a global scale. Considering the current trends of forced migrations, one may say that there are few safe and legal routes for the European Union and many of the thousands of migrants and refugees arriving through the Western Balkans route remain trapped outside the EU, without any legal protection or status. The refugees are facing serious impediments in accessing asylum in any of the countries along their route. All along their way, the refugees and migrants are exposed to a constant risk of exploitation, arbitrary detention and abuse. Their travel is often risky and sometimes dangerous and irregular. People take that road out of desperation, fleeing from war and other forms of violence, persecution, discrimination or poverty, in the hope that they will eventually find refuge, safety and security. Travelling in all kinds of weather conditions, sometimes without food and water for days, they face huge challenges. The fatigue, pain and hunger they experience are severely reflected in their physical and mental suffering. The European countries, faced with the current mass arrival of forced migrants from crisis areas around the world, have been caught unprepared by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people seeking a safer and better life for themselves and their families. The government authorities authorized to supervise the borders aim to stop illegal immigrants from crossing and by that they fight also against the organized crime i.e., the organizations engaged in human smuggling and trafficking, as well as the terrorist organizations whose activities have led to serious consequences and shattered the image of Europe as an area of freedom, justice and security. The bodies of the European Union have also been trying to find more efficient solutions to the new situation of humanitarian crisis. The current humanitarian disaster has increasingly been perceived not only as a threat to the systems of social welfare and national culture, but also as a threat to both national and international security.