Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 1 June 2022; Volume 17; 100403.; DOI:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100403
Kumar BN, James R, Hargreaves S, Bozorgmehr K, Mosca D, et al.
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. 1 June 2022; Volume 17; 100403.; DOI:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100403
The invasion of Ukraine has unleashed a humanitarian crisis and the impact is devastating for millions displaced in Ukraine and for those fleeing the country. Receiving countries in Europe are reeling with shock and disbelief and trying at the same time to grapple with the reality of providing for a large, unplanned, unprecedented number of refugees mainly women and children on the move. Several calls for actions, comments and statements express outrage, the risks, and the impending consequences to life and health. There is a need to constantly assess the situation on the ground, identify priorities for health and provide guidance regarding how these needs could be addressed. Therefore, the Lancet Migration European Regional Hub conducted rapid interviews with key informants to identify these needs, and in collaboration with the World Health Organization Health and Migration Programme, summarized how these could be addressed. This viewpoint provides a summary of the situation in receiving countries and the technical guidance required that could be useful for providing assistance in the current refugee crisis.
Journal Article > CommentaryFull Text
Lancet. 1 February 2020; Volume 395 (Issue 10225); 668-670.; DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33175-7
Orcutt M, Mussa R, Hiam L, Veizis A, McCann S, et al.
Lancet. 1 February 2020; Volume 395 (Issue 10225); 668-670.; DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33175-7
Restrictive migration policies that deny migrants and asylum seekers their right to health—a fundamental right enshrined in universal human rights declarations and treaties since 1948—are increasingly prevalent globally. They are the result of the so-called migration crisis that is a politically made humanitarian crisis. States are criminalising people who are in some of the most vulnerable situations, often also denying their right to seek asylum and right to health. Such policies are particularly apparent in situations of indefinite containment, such as on the Greek Islands (Chios, Kos, Leros, Lesvos, and Samos), where people are contained in EU-supported hotspot facilities in overcrowded, unhealthy, and undignified conditions.