International Medical Aid Group, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) released a scathing report on Tuesday condemning European Union migration policies. The report argues EU deterrence tactics have normalized violence against migrants while denying them basic rights and humanitarian protection.
Citing cases from its 20,000+ medical consultations with refugees in 2023, MSF contended EU cooperation with external countries actively obstructs and returns vulnerable asylum seekers. MSF staff have witnessed detainment conditions and refugee treatment in nations like Libya, Niger and Serbia that amount to torture, sexual abuse, and systemic medical neglect.
The report highlights the EU’s robust support for the Libyan Coast Guard which forcibly repatriates intercepted migrants back to abusive detention centers. It also spotlights Hungarian, Greek and Polish border refoulements explicitly violating international protections for those fleeing persecution.
Psychological trauma from violence is further compounded by EU border militarization tactics, as asylum pathways grow increasingly inhospitable. MSF doctors have treated numerous cases of post-traumatic stress disorder and physical wounds either from refugees’ home countries or inflicted during their dangerous EU-bound journeys.
Julien Buha Collette, MSF’s Operations Head, condemned EU policymakers glorifying deterrence schemes that deprive people basic mobility rights. She argued reactionary anti-immigration rhetoric triggered the ongoing human rights crisis and demanded urgent policy changes centered on humanitarian solutions.
MSF accused the EU of blatantly contradicting its professed values by restricting access for authorized asylum seekers. The medical provider emphasized Europe is actively engineering the current desperation through its normalized indifference to refugee welfare.