EU asylum reform 'will lead to systematic detention of children'

As we heard in that report, more than 100 groups working with migrants and refugees have spoken out against these EU reforms. The NGO Save the Children is one of those, and its senior advocacy advisor Federica Toscano joins me live on the program now. Thank you for joining us today. In a statement published after this legislation went through, Save the Children said this decision could not have been worse for children and families. Just briefly explain to us why thanks for having me. It’s certainly a terrible day for asylum in Europe. For us, what is most concerning is that children and families might be detained for long periods of time at the border, because the rules that have been adopted yesterday actually focus on deterrence, on actually restricting access to Europe and restricting access to protection, and therefore do not go into the direction of meeting children and families fleeing conflict, violence and harm with the necessary support and services that they need as soon as they arrive in Europe. So actually the fact that many of those children and families, actually in theory all of them might be met with systematic detention at the borders in clearly what is in our experience, substandard reception facilities where they cannot have access to the support that they need and their vulnerability cannot be properly assessed, is an issue. And also we know that they might be sent to procedures that are substandard, that might not look precisely at their individual situation with the time and means and delicacy that families and young children really need to be able to open up and tell the story. And this might, in the end result in them not accessing asylum. That’s why many of us think that this reform do put asylum in danger in Europe. Let me put to you what the German Interior Minister said after this legislation was passed yesterday. He said we, we Europeans, will continue to protect people who are fleeing war, torture and murder, but the responsibility for refugees will be spread across more countries in the continent. I mean, that’s accurate, isn’t it, That people will still be able to come to Europe, but they simply won’t be able, won’t be concentrated in a number of places like Italy. It’s not a ban on refugees, is it? This is a narrative that has been spread around, but I don’t think it’s accurate. Actually this pact puts more responsibility to countries and border who are required to provide this, to provide this new border procedures and actually keep people at the border for extensive period of time. And these people will be under their responsibility and they will be responsible for the people, for all the people that will arrive in euros asking for protection for longer period of time. People will be discouraged also to move forward because there are sanctions for people that so-called engage in what is called secondary movements. So because they don’t find the protection that they need or a system that really responds to their need where they are decide to move forward and try to find protection elsewhere. So in the end their responsibility is certainly increasing on the countries at borders. So I don’t think that actually what was said was accurate. There are indeed what is so-called solid, what are so-called solidarity measures, but they are have been substantially weakened by the advocacy actually actually the negotiations of the Member States. So actually solidarity, as it was proposed by the Commission, is weaker in the text that was adopted yesterday. So indeed, I don’t think that this system provides a more solidarity mechanism in Europe. I’d like to clarify something you mentioned in your first answer to me. Do you believe that more children will end up in detention as a result of these new rules? Yes, because this is what we see already is the reality in many countries at the border that are implementing border procedure. It is demanded for example already now to Greece and other countries to proceed with this identification at borders and the centers in the islands, but also hotspots facilities have been has been created where we assist what is actually in the end back to detention for certain periods of time that might be short, shorter or longer depending on where we are and which country we’re talking about. This is actually sort of piloted system. We will become systematized in the new pact and therefore what we believe will happen is that the tension will take place systematically at borders. Were actually Member States will have to carry out certain procedures at borders as the legislation demands in certain things which we believe will end up being this huge centers, reception centers that will become detention facilities because people will not be free to move to be able to go through these procedures in the time frames that the legislation provides. And we are extremely concerned because children and family with families will not be excluded by this border procedures and so the by this probably systematic detention. And we know already from what we see in Greece. But as I said also in other countries in the Canary Islands, but also in the South of Italy, that often the the facilities are definitely substandard services cannot provide the support that they need to provide to especially vulnerable people that have a ride in an appropriate setting. And this has consequences, extremely, extremely concerning consequences, especially on children. I I hear what you’re saying loud and clear. I want to ask you one question, but just very briefly, if you can. We are still seeing these tragedies in the Mediterranean just today, nine people losing their lives. Are you at Save the Children pushing now for more legal routes for asylum seekers so they don’t have to go by sea? Absolutely. That’s what is concerning for us in terms of increasing deterrence and restrictive measures. We are afraid that more and more people will have to go through and safer ways to get to Europe if deterrence continues to be the way of handling migration. And one of the things where we think we really need to invest in the European Union and Member States really need to invest, is to provide alternative and safer routes to protection in Europe. 19 Around 90% of those that actually are granted protection in Europe have come to Europe irregularly, which just shows the lack of safer ways to be able to reach protection here.