migrant and refugee crisis

The Greek government has said it intends to transfer 5,000 people from the Greek islands to the mainland before the start of winter. This is a very positive step that will save lives, but thousands remain at risk from freezing conditions and the Greek government and EU must end the containment policy immediately, Oxfam said.

The Greek government, with the support of EU leaders, should act now before the onset of winter to end Greece’s “containment policy,” 13 human rights and humanitarian organizations said in a campaign that began today.

On the sidelines of the AU-EU summit in Abidjan, the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union have announced they will put in place a joint task force to save the lives of migrants and refugees in Libya. But at the same time, European support for the Libyan coastguard contributes to stopping and returning people who are trying to escape the hell they are facing in Libya, a policy Oxfam condemns. 

EU measures to block migrants in Libya leave people in danger, Oxfam says in reaction to the decisions of EU leaders at their summit in Brussels today.

All around the world, war, violence, poverty, famine and disasters force ordinary people from their homes every day, as they desperately search for safety and protection. Many have left everything behind and end up living in squalid conditions with not enough food, clean water or proper sanitation. You can help.

Rape, torture and slave labor are among the horrendous daily realities for people stuck in Libya who are desperately trying to escape war, persecution and poverty in African countries, according to a new report by Oxfam and Italian partners MEDU and Borderline Sicilia.

France is unlikely to be able to guarantee safety and human rights for asylum seekers in Libya, Oxfam said in reaction to French plans to set up a processing centre in Libya for asylum seekers in the North-African country.

While EU governments are meeting in Tallinn today to approve plans for more cooperation with Libya in order to stop people from entering Europe, Oxfam and its partners are hearing new accounts of murder, torture and other horrific abuses being suffered by refugees and other people who have fled through Libya - a place they call “hell”.

Governments today pledged $352.6 million for refugees at the Uganda Solidarity Summit in Kampala.

A touring exhibition by Oxfam and Amnesty International promoting solidarity with refugees and other migrants has received a prestigious European Excellence Award in Brussels today. The “Museum without a Home”, which showcases items donated by Greeks to migrants, was awarded the best European NGO campaign in 2016.