Migrant Kids Homeless in France: Daily Brief
Homeless child migrants in France; still no answers on four Syrians who died in Lebanese army custody; insurgents used landmines on plantation workers in Thailand; local groups in Iraqi city of Raqqa need international help to deal with discovery of mass graves; Russia denies asylum to Syrians fleeing war; and why many Belgians support a complete ban on "killer robots"...
Child protection authorities in the French capital Paris are using flawed age assessment procedures for unaccompanied migrant children, depriving many of them from the care and protection that they are entitled to, HRW said in a new report released today. The flawed procedures mean hundreds of these young migrants find themselves homeless, often condemned to sleep on the streets of Paris.
It’s been a year, but there’s still no word on what happened to four Syrians who died in the custody of the Lebanese army. Despite evidence of torture, a military prosecutor said the four died from natural causes, but results from this investigation have never been made public.
Thousands of bodies are still left to be recovered after several mass graves were discovered in former ISIS-controlled areas in and around the Iraqi city of Raqqa. Local authorities are struggling with the logistical challenges of collecting and organizing information about the bodies recovered so far, as well as helping families search for missing or dead relatives.
Separatist insurgents have used landmines to maim rubber plantation workers and seriously disrupt the daily life of people in Thailand’s southern border provinces. The most visible impact of insurgent attacks is the flight of ethnic Thai Buddhists from the communities where they have lived alongside ethnic Malay Muslims for generations.
Russian authorities approved only half of the temporary asylum applications they received from Syrian nationals in 2017. The Supreme Court’s stance on the issue only adds salt to the wounds of Syrians seeking refuge in Russia, a party to the conflict in Syria. Russia should instead take responsibility for its actions and at a minimum provide refuge for Syrians fleeing violence.
For Afghans, the lull in fighting across the country during a brief 3-day ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces may seem like a mirage now. A suicide bombing killed 19 people just hours after the ceasefire ended, and with more violence feared in the next four months before the elections, Afghan civilians can be expected to pay the highest price.
And finally, Belgian lawmakers should stand on the right side of history and heed calls to support a new treaty to ban fully autonomous weapons, sometimes known as 'killer robots'. The vote is a key opportunity to shape the future of warfare and law enforcement, and to help protect civilians. Belgium, which has a rich history as a championing humanitarian disarmament, should carry on its leadership in this area.