Ukraine war: UN alarmed about discrimination against refugees - "Treat us like dogs"
Created: 03/03/2022 17:02
By: Momir Takac
Among the people fleeing the war there are also those who are not from Ukraine or from any other EU country.
They feel discriminated against - and complain.
Geneva - Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing the Russian bombs in the Ukraine conflict.
Among them are also those who are neither Ukrainian nor from another European country.
African refugees, for example, accused Polish border officials of having rejected them for racist reasons.
UN alarmed: Foreign refugees discriminated against and rejected at Ukrainian-Polish border
Clayson Monyela from the South African Foreign Ministry had already complained last Sunday: "South African students and other Africans were treated badly at the Ukrainian-Polish border," he wrote on Twitter.
Videos had appeared on social networks showing African refugees being rejected.
There was also talk of extra queues and days of waiting.
Some even had to sleep outdoors.
The foreign refugees also expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian authorities.
“We have all the documents with us.
The Ukrainians are all coming through, one after the other, we've been waiting here for three days.
Only us because we are foreigners.
They treat us like dogs," a student from Pakistan said in a video shared with AFP.
(
Also read:
The Background of the Ukraine Crisis)
War in Ukraine: Director-General of UN organization appeals to countries neighboring Ukraine
The cases do not appear to be uncommon.
Now even the United Nations has spoken out.
The UN called reports of the rejection of foreigners who, like Ukrainians, want to flee from the Russian attacks, alarming.
There are verified and credible reports on "discrimination, violence and xenophobia," said the Director General of the UN Organization for Migration (IOM), António Vitorino, on Thursday.
“Men, women and children from dozens of countries, including migrant workers and students, living in Ukraine face acute challenges trying to leave conflict-affected areas, cross borders with neighboring countries and seek life-saving assistance looking," said Vitorino.
He called on Ukraine's neighboring countries to take in these people just like everyone else.
(mt/dpa)
