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Stop tightening borders, treat refugees with dignity: Charity

Tuesday, 16 February 2016 6:48 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 17 February 2016 6:58 PM ]

Refugees walk towards the Austrian border town of Spielfeld in the village of Sentilj, Slovenia, February 16, 2016. ©Reuters

A global humanitarian organization has warned against fencing off Europe’s borders in response to a huge influx of refugees, saying countries in the continent should treat asylum seekers with “dignity.”

Garry Conille, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) under secretary general, made the remarks on Tuesday after a two-day London meeting on Europe's humanitarian response.

"I think most observers will agree that building up walls and fences is probably not the best way to handle this [refugee] crisis,” Conille said, highlighting the need for “a comprehensive solution that puts the dignity and humanity of the individuals first."

"We understand this is complex ... but we also have to be careful that we're not making decisions based on fear, based on bigotry," he added.

The IFRC official’s remarks came hours before a meeting between some European Union (EU) leaders in the Belgian capital city of Brussels to debate a German proposal on refugees.

Under the German initiative, Turkey, a transit country for refugees, would seal its borders and then fly asylum seekers to Europe where they would be settled under an EU quota system.

However, most EU member states have not welcomed the plan, with the Visegrad Group -- Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary -- taking a tough stance on refugees.

The four Eastern European states have vowed to help Macedonia and Bulgaria close their borders with Greece, which would leave the Mediterranean state with rising numbers of refugees while excluding it from Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.

Most of refugees are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

Refugees rush to board a train before its departure towards Serbia, from the transit center for refugees near the Macedonian town of Gevgelija, February 14, 2016. ©AP

While a few European leaders support an open-door refugee policy, others are in favor of controlling EU’s external borders. They are deporting more people and paying third countries to keep asylum seekers on their soil.

According to latest figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 76,000 refugees have reached Europe’s shores in the first six weeks of 2016, while 409 people either died or went missing in their perilous journey to the continent.

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