UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - The ready acceptance of Ukrainians fleeing conflict has put a spotlight on Europe’s “double standards” for migrants, standing against its unwelcoming attitude toward people uprooted by violence in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere, the head of the world’s largest humanitarian network Francesco Rocca has said.
Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said he doesn’t think “there is any difference” between someone fleeing eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region and someone escaping the Boko Haram group in Nigeria.
“Those who are fleeing violence, those who are seeking protection, should be treated equally,” said Rocca, whose organization operates in more than 192 countries, with almost 15 million volunteers.
Speaking at a news conference, he said there was “a moral imperative” to help people escape violence and upheaval, and “the political, public and humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis has shown what is possible when humanity and dignity come first, when there is global solidarity”.
He said the 27-member European Union still has different approaches to migration at its eastern border from Ukraine and its southern border on the Mediterranean sea.
By contrast, Rocca said, migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers trying to get to Europe are still dying, facing abuse and struggling to access essential services.
Over 48,000 migrants have died or disappeared since 2014 while traveling at sea, and the deadliest route is that taken by migrants across the central Mediterranean to Europe, with at least 19,000 such deaths, he said.