GENEVA, 11 February, 2021 (TON):  Take urgent action to end push-backs, collective expulsions, and the use of violence against migrants and refugees, including children, at the EU’s external land and maritime borders, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called on the European Union (EU) and its Member States.

Documented reports of human rights violations and breaches of international law and its conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights continuously received by the IOM.

“Our direct interactions, with migrants including during the delivery of assistance, as well as various testimonies and photographs shared by NGOs and the media, confirm the level of brutality they were subjected to before being pushed back across maritime and land borders.”

“The use of excessive force and violence against civilians is unjustifiable,” says IOM Chief of Staff Eugenio Ambrosi.

“States’ sovereignty including their competence to maintain the integrity of their borders must be aligned with their obligations under international law and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.”

IOM condemns in strongly the abuse of migrants and refugees at any border, as push-backs and collective expulsions are prohibited under international and EU law.

The Organization welcomes recent investigations initiated by several states and EU bodies into allegations of push-backs, violations of the principle of Non-refoulement, as well as violence at borders, and stresses that action needs to be taken by states to put an end to these abuses.

The alarming situation at some of the EU’s external borders highlights the need to improve migration and asylum policy and governance, and implement humane and integrate rights-based practices.

It is likely seen that the IOM supports the EU and its Member States on migration governance, including capacity building for rights-based integrated border management that respects the human rights of all migrants.