An Evolving Situation Fraught with Concerns

According to UNHCR since the beginning of 2015 over 1 million people driven out of their countries by war, poverty and persecution entered Europe in this record-breaking year.** Reaching Europe via various routes (e.g. the Mediterranean route and the West Balkans route), at least 3,703 people have lost their lives during the journey. The influx of migrants during November has dropped significantly since Dahlia’s last mission in October 2015, but remains at around 4-6,000 people per day.

The assessment mission in December 2015 collected credible and sensitive information on violations of refugees’ rights by gangs and law enforcement forces when crossing into Europe via Bulgaria. Interviewed refugees walked for several days or weeks through the country’s mountains and forests. They reported abuses by the local police, gangs and human trafficking rings. These abuses have included shooting, robbery, attacks by dogs, beatings, threats, etc. Testimonies are collected in Dimitrovgrad, a small town in Serbia some 4 km from the Bulgarian border, by volunteers working in the refugee transit centre. In Dimitrovgrad, refugees are registered at the police station adjacent to the transit centre. Refugees, various volunteers and humanitarian actors in the field and at HQ-level have reported cases of power abuses, harassment and corruption.

Despite the improvement of the response along the de facto consolidated route, key problems remain the same: unpredictable migrant flows, delays and security concerns at certain border crossings, exhausted and nervous refugees often disorientated and afraid. With winter approaching and temperatures dropping rapidly, a humanitarian crisis may be looming as many thousands of refugees camp out in the cold each night. Asylum seekers on the West Balkans route are particularly vulnerable to abuse, in some cases by security forces.

Since November 2015, most nations along Europe’s refugee routes have abruptly placed restrictions on the number of migrants allowed across their borders. These restrictions commenced on the 19th of that month, when Slovenia declared that it would no longer allow “economic migrants” to cross over from Croatia, explaining that it would only accept asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. This decision triggered a domino effect along the West Balkans’ migrant route. Asylum seekers from these three countries must provide identification at every border (Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia), as well as the paperwork they received when they were first registered in Greece, or at other entry points to the European Union. Anyone without the required documentation is now defined as an economic migrant and promptly turned back. The UN estimates that 77% of the people streaming towards Western Europe are from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. The rest are a kaleidoscope of nationalities affected by dictatorship, poverty, or insecurity.

A growing number of refugees and asylum seekers have been caught by surprise by the sudden decision of allowing access to only three nationalities (Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans) thus trapping the rest behind or between the borders of various countries. UNHCR has underlined that selecting migrants on the basis of their nationality goes against international rules on applying for refugee status and insist that every person must have the right to request asylum.

As a consequence of the blockade with respect to access, the situation in the informal Idomeni camp on the Greek side of the border with Macedonia became explosive during Dahlia’s mission. On the 3rd of December, riots and clashes erupted between police and different migrant groups. Anti-riot forces re-established the crossing during the night. On the 9th of December, police forces obliged all migrants at that location to move to public premises in Athens and elsewhere, only allowing access to the border to those nationals now formally allowed to cross it (Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans).

The transit conditions for migrants have largely improved since last DAHLIA’s mission in October 2015. The route in the West Balkans has been established de facto through specific crossing points where UNHCR, international and national organisations offer basic support to refugees in terms of clothing, food, medical care and information. Refugees are nevertheless reluctant to accept any aid that could delay their journey, such as shelter or medical care. Despite this, countries along the West Balkans route are expecting to provide shelter for up to 50,000 people this winter.

The main concern remains protection and the ability to deal with vulnerabilities. Refugees must register each time they cross a new border. The size and complexity of the population crossing borders, as well as the lack of adequate capacity and, sometimes, qualification of local authorities, affects the effective management of refugee flows. This fragmented registration process, resulting from the individual requirements of sovereign states, creates gaps and a deficit of communications and case management.

CwC: A Specific Challenge

Refugees profoundly rely on basic, real-time information which they share via their own information networks through smartphones and social media (for instance, GPS coordinates and other practical data shared via Facebook, Viber, Line, WhatsApp, etc.). The most popular information for refugees encompasses practical advice on border crossings, the best routes to take, and access to aid and transport. Humanitarian organisations have difficulties in appropriately accessing and/or socialising with refugees’ and migrants’ networks with a view to feeding them with accurate information and encouraging two-way communication. UNHCR and other partners recognise that the outreach mechanisms thus far attempted have not fully exploited the social media-based communication vehicles that refugees and migrants themselves employ.

The populations on the move are mistrustful of what they perceive to be “institutional information”. In its regional strategy for CwC, UNHCR explains that “the information by smugglers and traffickers as well as other sources is difficult to counterbalance as they operate across countries, often using highly sophisticated networks of organised crime to ensure that misinformation is spread with the objective of continuing to exploit refugees and migrants financially and with little regards to the latter’s’ safety.” CwC raises the very specific challenge of credibility in addressing information and communications needs. A re-definition of roles and mechanisms is necessary, including the identification of credible information sources, the clarification of service providers and information needs, and the adaptation of the messages provided to different cultural groups. While such challenges are already being analysed by UNHCR and BBC Media Service, little has been attempted or experienced thus far in the field.

Regarding information provided to populations on the move, it should be noted that there is often a discrepancy between what people want to know and what organisations in the field are able to provide. On the one hand, this is principally due to the fact that agencies in the field do not have the requested information. On the other, it is because certain agencies are wary of being perceived as encouraging refugee/migrant movements.
UNHCR’s recent CwC strategy is a significant step forward towards adopting new models for CwC geared at migrants in Europe. Dahlia’s mission identified several hurdles that could affect effective implementation of this strategy:

• The lack of an integrated information system is a pressing challenge (encompassing data on refugees from their points of origins or first registration; as well as key needs in terms of specific support and medical care, particularly with respect to children, the elderly, those with disabilities, etc.). Such a system would allow for the accurate characterisation of the audience and, correspondingly, for adequate follow-up. So too would it allow for the flexible adaptation of CwC in tandem with the evolution of the refugee crisis on the ground.
• The weak development of suitable platforms to improve the credibility of messages and increase the involvement of community groups. Some steps to involve “neutral and professional” media platforms so as to provide information to migrants (e.g. the BBC or Al Jazeera) are moves in the right direction, but it is not clear whether these alternatives will materialise in the short-term.
• Key agency field offices, including that of UNHCR, are managed from a national perspective. This system helps agencies work closely with host governments but leads to fragmentation and a weaker approach in terms of regional integration. It precipitates vague lines of management and institutional accountability channels from a regional perspective. While field staff find ways to overcome such institutional limitations (for instance through cross-borders contacts, or use of WhatsApp, etc.), a more structured organisational approach to develop new tools and systems in this sphere is advisable.

A growing number of refugees and asylum seekers have been caught by surprise by the sudden decision of allowing access to only three nationalities (Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans) thus trapping the rest behind or between the borders of various countries. UNHCR has underlined that selecting migrants on the basis of their nationality goes against international rules on applying for refugee status and insist that every person
must have the right to request asylum.

As a consequence of the blockade with respect to access, the situation in the informal Idomeni camp on the Greek side of the border with Macedonia became explosive during Dahlia’s mission. On the 3rd of December, riots and clashes erupted between police and different migrant groups. Anti-riot forces re-established the crossing during the night. On the 9th of December, police forces obliged all migrants at that location to move to public premises in Athens and elsewhere, only allowing access to the border to those nationals now formally allowed to cross it (Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans).

The transit conditions for migrants have largely improved since last DAHLIA’s mission in October 2015. The route in the West Balkans has been established de facto through specific crossing points where UNHCR, international and national organisations offer basic support to refugees in terms of clothing, food, medical care and information. Refugees are nevertheless reluctant to accept any aid that could delay their journey², such as shelter or medical care. Despite this, countries along the West Balkans route are expecting to provide shelter for up to 50,000 people this winter.

The main concern remains protection and the ability to deal with vulnerabilities. Refugees must register each time they cross a new border. The size and complexity of the population crossing borders, as well as the lack of adequate capacity and, sometimes, qualification of local authorities, affects the effective management of refugee flows. This fragmented registration process, resulting from the individual requirements of sovereign states, creates gaps and a deficit of communications and case management.

An Artificial Crisis?

– The absence of a collective EU decision to ensure safe access to migrants, coupled with the creation of obstacles which make refugees’ journeys as burdensome as possible, are the two factors predominantly responsible for the current chaos. Failure to create legal channels of entry for refugees has precipitated an unsustainable situation. Current arrangements between countries to control their borders have proven ineffectual in the face of a tide of persons who are truly desperate. The EU’s relocation scheme for refugees who are already inside its borders represents a gesture of solidarity between Member States (as a burden-sharing measure), not towards refugees themselves. As such, efforts and investments should be made to facilitate secure and safe legal access for refugees.

– The lack of an integrated global approach has occasioned the development of an artificial humanitarian crisis that could have been avoided if a workable plan of action were put in place. Namely, one that protects refugees’ needs and rights, enables the development of safe migration channels, reduces the market for smugglers/traffickers, and facilitates resettlement. The entire transit process of refugees needs to be more rational, avoiding unnecessary, extended and precarious journeys on foot, and facilitating connections between means of transport along different European borders. 

– The arbitrary decision to limit authorisation for border crossings with respect to persons of concern belonging to any nationality other than Iraqis, Syrians and Afghans raises questions of equity and is potentially dangerous. This too has prompted an unsustainable situation. MSF explains, “Europe’s restrictive policies mean that we put some of the world’s most vulnerable people in more danger”. While large numbers of economic migrants are likely to distort the picture, a significant number of rights holders and persons of concern are already adversely affected. It is imperative to develop tools and mechanisms to ensure that persons of concern belonging to other nationalities, beyond the three selected by European states, are adequately taken into account and that specific CwC and messaging is developed for them. It is necessary to clarify their aspirations and the ways by which they may claim their rights.

– UNHCR’s role is key for encouraging the development of an integrated data system from origin to destination, while respecting each transit state’s regulations. Building such data into a more comprehensive system would facilitate the tracking of specific vulnerable cases and allow the patterns needed for adapting programming to be clearly defined. A system based on a mobile platform could be envisaged in this regard.

– Adequate tools need to be developed to identity refugees’ specific needs, establish timely differentiation between vulnerable groups on the move (such as unaccompanied minors and children separated from their guardians; women and girls at risk; the elderly or persons with disabilities, etc.). Cross border mechanisms for the referral of different groups, in order to ensure appropriate and timely follow-up, must be improved to make these fully operational.

– Further creative efforts should be pursued to spread accurate and credible information to refugees. This should involve sharing information in modes of transportation, e.g. trains or buses, a protection hotline with various interpreters, and a proper outreach campaign.

– Efforts to develop alternative, accepted and credible platforms to respond to refugees’ information needs should continue. Partnership between UNHCR, humanitarian actors and professional communications agencies, such as the BBC or Al Jazeera, should be encouraged.

– Humanitarian actors should analyse and “socialise” with refugees’ and migrants’ networks, without compromising their safety and security, feeding them with reliable information and encouraging two-way communication. They should also coordinate with aid workers and local NGOs which are already feeding refugees with information through their own social media platforms, webpages and volunteers. As UNHCR has underscored: “it is important to capitalise on existing community networks and information flows to meet the information and communication needs of a heterogeneous moving population.”

– To strengthen the response, it is vital to involve refugees in the solutions pursued to alleviate the crisis. A consultation system is advisable, which could be implemented through social networks and on-site (for instance, through easy-to-use questionnaires and feedback forms in select waiting areas).

– There is a pressing need for more effective expectations’ management. Refugees should know what they can expect when they reach their final destination, in terms of rights but also in terms of housing, access to jobs, etc. They need to receive a more realistic picture of life on the ground. This information should be made available in a credible way, using testimonies from other refugees, social networks and popular information platforms.

– The selective entry procedures at all major borders between Greece and Slovenia threaten to further encourage the development of alternative clandestine routes by smugglers, mainly through Bulgaria. This will result in significant protection concerns and increase the need to develop an appropriate CwC strategy geared towards affected migrant populations. The main objective thereof should be to provide them with accurate humanitarian information, to inform them of the risks they are exposed to, and to establish communications channels which allow meaningful two-way communication.

This refugee crisis is often described as the first one of the digital era. Dahlia will continue to investigate how refugees and migrants have been using mobile technologies, computer applications and social media on the move. Further research on this topic will be carried out and shared in 2016.