Human rights violations at the borders of the European Union (EU) remain under-investigated by national authorities, a EU report said on Tuesday.
“There are very few national investigations of incidents resulting in the loss of life and alleged ill-treatment of migrants and refugees at borders… when compared with the vast number of credible reports about serious fundamental rights violations at the EU’s external land and sea borders,” said the report published by the Vienna-based EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
“Very few national court proceedings lead to convictions,” FRA said in the report. “A sense of impunity prevails.”
The agency called for robust border monitoring and stronger accountability mechanisms to better protect migrants and refugees.
“Europe has a duty to treat everyone at the borders fairly, respectfully and in full compliance with human rights law,” FRA director Sirpa Rautio said. “This calls for effective and rights-compliant border management practices, underpinned by robust and independent investigations into all rights abuse incidents.