Two United Nations experts on the human rights of migrants are warning that force will not stop Europe’s migration crisis and will only fuel unscrupulous smugglers.
Francois Crepeau, the UN special investigator on migrant rights, and Francisco Carrion, head of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers, criticized a UN Security Council resolution authorizing European Union inspection and use of force against boats on the high seas suspected of smuggling migrants from Libya, AP reports.
Creapeau told a news conference Friday that “humankind is wired for migration” and the only way to get rid of smugglers is to offer mobility to refugees and migrants.
He said Europe should implement massive refugee resettlement programs from transit countries over many years and crack down on unscrupulous employers hiring cheap migrant labor.
Meanwhile, Slovenia’s prime minister, Miro Cerar, says the influx of tens of thousands of migrants is putting too much strain on his country and others in Europe.
He called Friday for a common EU action and effective protection of the EU’s external borders, saying that “if these big waves of migrants just continue to come to Slovenia, it will be impossible to carry this on.”
