During the first six months of 2024, more than 120 million people around the world were forced to leave their homes due to armed conflict, human rights violations, humanitarian crises, or the effects of climate change. Despite these figures, the European Union continues to tighten its migration and border control policies. Since 2014, more than half of the deaths recorded during migration processes have occurred in Europe or on routes to the continent, both maritime and land. In the Mediterranean alone, 30,356 migrants have died or disappeared in the last decade. It is estimated that this figure could be double in the Sahara desert.
In this context, today, Salud por Derecho has presented the report Migration policy in the EU as a global health crisis, revealing how these measures focused on deterrence, detention, and border sealing are triggering a public health crisis affecting millions of migrants. The report highlights that these policies are pushing migrants to take more dangerous paths, increasing the risks to their health. The report warns that this situation is not an inevitable consequence of the migration process, but a political decision. The EU, which already has walls on 15% of its borders, has increased by 94% the funding allocated to migration control for 2021-2027.
Between walls and detention
The report also highlights the serious health risks faced by migrants who are exposed to extreme conditions during their journey, such as stifling heat, intense cold, and dehydration, as well as suffering physical violence at borders and detention. The lack of access to medical care and the interruption of treatments further aggravate their condition and also affect their mental health. This situation causes an increase in cases of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder among those who have migrated. According to the report, every year, more than 100,000 people are detained in Europe due to their administrative status, and in Spain, 70% of people detained in detention centers develop serious mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, and two out of ten attempt self-harm. This detention also impacts children with lifelong consequences. Studies show that a child exposed to extreme stress, such as that suffered in detention, is more likely to develop lung cancer, has a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and can lose up to twenty years of life expectancy.
Another worrying aspect is the inaction and structural violence at the borders, where pushbacks have become a common practice. These pushbacks, carried out without due process of law, not only violate human rights but also cause serious physical injuries and psychological trauma. Since 2017, more than 25,000 cases of violence have been recorded at European borders during pushbacks, demonstrating the increased risks and abandonment faced by these people.
In addition, Salud por Derecho denounces the outsourcing of migration control and its serious impact on health. The EU has invested millions of Euros in financing countries such as Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco to stop migrants before they reach Europe. The document highlights the case of Libya, whose coast guard has intercepted and returned 120,000 people using these practices since 2017. All this in a country where more than 70% of migrants do not receive medical assistance.
Key points for migrating with rights
The report concludes with a series of recommendations urging the EU to rethink its migration policy to integrate global health and human rights. It calls for an end to the detention of migrants, as even the shortest periods can cause anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder that last for years. It also calls for an end to agreements with third countries that encourage these violent practices and for the creation of an exclusive European mechanism for maritime rescues, guaranteeing safe ports.
At a national level, it calls on Spain to implement European laws with full guarantees. To this end, it calls for avoiding the detention of migrants, as it is incompatible with the right to health; establishing a health monitoring system at borders, and prioritizing health care in the design of migration policies.
