Rome – The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) today criticized the slowdown of the Norwegian government for its active contribution to tackling the refugee crisis in the asylum seekers’ camps in Greece and intransigence towards the immediate start of receiving hundreds of them.
The International Federation considers that the Norwegian government does not have to wait for the formation of a European alliance to act, and it must accelerate the procedures to extend a helping hand to the refugee children who are suffering in the overcrowded camps in Greece, especially the (Moria) camp.
She notes that with the recurring threat of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) reduced, the Norwegian government is obligated to act immediately to allow the most significant possible number of refugee children detained in Moria and other refugee asylum camps in Greece.
The International Federation followed the request of the Socialist Left Party (SV) in the Norwegian Parliament to demand the urgent transformation of 500 children and 1,000 refugees (families with children) within a short period of Moria camp.
On the other hand, while the Norwegian government has agreed to the principle of recruitment, it refuses to adhere to the aforementioned numbers. It says it is waiting for a collective action by European countries to end the crisis of asylum seekers in the Greek camps.
Norway is one of the countries that have implimented significant stresses on the asylum and immigration system since 2016, a year after the European asylum crisis in the fall of 2015. Oslo has repeatedly promised to reduce strictness to those laws in terms of receiving refugees selected by UNHCR, after a significant drop in The number of refugees who are bringing themselves to the country, in light of the increased border patrols in Denmark and Sweden, which are two main crossings towards Norway.
The hardening of the center-right government in Norway on residence and asylum issues since 2016 has led to a decrease in the number of asylum seekers in the country, while the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has adopted some 40 strict measures under the pretext of “limiting the flow of refugees and migrants.
In light of the aggravation of the suffering of asylum seekers in the Greek camps, the International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) affirmed that the Norwegian government had adopted a position that awaits a broad European solution that is an excuse to evade its legal and moral responsibilities towards the refugee crisis.
The International Federation stresses that Norway and the rest of the European countries are obligated to take action to end the suffering of asylum seekers in the Greek camps, especially children from them, by the “European Union’s Fundamental Rights Charter,” which guarantees the right to seek asylum and guarantees protection from the forced return of everyone who faces a real risk of exposure Persecution or any other serious harm.
