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STORY: GENEVA / REFUGEE CHILDREN
TRT: 2:58
SOURCE: UNTV CH/FILE
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 04 NOVEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND/FILE
1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe:
“The data for October as registered by the authorities in Gevgelija is 44%, in September it was 35%. So we see a constant increase of the proportion of women and children amongst the population on the move. “
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe:
“You sense in the group the anxiety that maybe borders will close, maybe they will not be allowed through. And this is really challenging for people themselves, women and children themselves, even to access the services we managed to put on the site”.
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe:
“The overall numbers of people on the move- and if I give you the data of the Macedonian authorities which is first point of this journey that I am just sharing with you – the numbers of people registered there doubled in October compared to September. So, the idea we had for a while, that winter, bad weather, rough sea and all this, would create a decrease in the flow is not proven to be the case. In fact, when you talk to the families on the move - and we had many contacts with mothers, fathers, young people - they tell you, and you ask them why is it that you are risking your life, they say ‘well, right now the prices have gone down’. It looks like smugglers – because of rough weather and possible more difficulties – they are giving a discount to anybody so to keep the numbers up”.
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe:
“Whatever state of exhaustion and fear that they enter, it doesn’t take very long that they take the crayon and they sit and start engaging in these activities. The resilience of these kids is enormous. So I think we need to make sure that they have this opportunity for getting back to normality, even for a few hours on the way”.
10. Close up, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe:
“Everyone is on the move. I think the big question for us in Europe, and as an European, I think we should ask that question squarely: Is Europe fit for purpose? Are we ready to give to children the future they are risking their lives for? Are we ready to be ready the European Union?”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
FILE – UNICEF - 5 SEPTEMBER 2015, GEVGELIJA, FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
13. Close-up, young girl in reception centre
14. Wide shot, family sitting outside temporary structure
15. Med shot, young boys sitting outside temporary structure
16. Med shot, young boy bathing
17. Wide shot, young boy bathing with help of mother
18. Wide shot, family in temporary structure
19. Wide shot, UNICEF child friendly space
20. Med shot, children drawing
A constant increase in the numbers of children and women seeking refuge in Europe is resulting in a "crisis for children", according to UNICEF. Twenty per cent of all refugees and migrants arriving in Europe are now children UNICEF Special Coordinator for Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe, Marie-Pierre Poirier, told reporters in Geneva today (4 November).
The UNICEF coordinator has concluded a one week mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in Serbia and in Croatia, where she followed the refugees and migrants traveling to Europe by the Balkan route. “The data for October - as registered by the authorities in Gevgelija - is 44 percent, in September it was 35 percent. So we see a constant increase of the proportion of women and children amongst the population on the move."
People are generally traveling together in groups of 50 people and wait to take buses and trains to move on with their journey, she said .
“You sense in the group the anxiety that maybe borders will close, maybe they will not be allowed through. And this is really challenging for people themselves, women and children themselves, even to access the services we managed to put on the site,” Poirier said.
Since the beginning of the year, 190,000 children have applied for asylum in Europe, at a rate of 700 per day. There is no indication that this uninterrupted flow will stop. “The overall numbers of people on the move- and if I give you the data of the Macedonian authorities which is first point of this journey that I am just sharing with you – the numbers of people registered there doubled in October compared to September. So, the idea we had for a while, that winter, bad weather, rough sea and all this, would create a decrease in the flow is not proven to be the case. In fact, when you talk to the families on the move - and we had many contacts with mothers, fathers, young people - they tell you, and you ask them why is it that you are risking your life, they say ‘well, right now the prices have gone down’. It looks like smugglers – because of rough weather and possible more difficulties – they are giving a discount to anybody so to keep the numbers up”.
If the sea is too rough and too dangerous between Turkey and Greece during winter, migrants could go by land from Turkey to Bulgaria, said the UNICEF representative. In an emotional appeal, she advocated for the protection of these migrant children to be the subject of special attention, especially in the upcoming winter months. Marie-Pierre Poirier launched an urgent appeal for additional support to provide the refugees with warm clothing, generators for heating, blankets, food. According to UNICEF only 20 percent of the 4 million dollar aid needs are currently met.
Nevertheless progress has been made in the care of children during the long journey across five Balkan countries, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, said Marie-Pierre Poirier. Over 7 000 children have rested and played in UNICEF child friendly spaces in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. UNICEF’s coordinator said that “whatever state of exhaustion and fear that they enter, it doesn’t take very long that they take the crayon and they sit and start engaging in these activities. The resilience of these kids is enormous. So I think we need to make sure that they have this opportunity for getting back to normality, even for a few hours on the way”.
The UNICEF representative described migrants "exhausted", "scared", and eager to reach the end of their journey, crowding on trains and buses, anxious that the borders are closed abruptly. A few dozen children each day are separated from their parents in the crowd. Fortunately, most of them are reunited within one day.
Marie-Pierre Poirier concluded her experience from last week’s trip by saying that “everyone is on the move. I think the big question for us in Europe, and as an European, I think we should ask that question squarely: Is Europe fit for purpose? Are we ready to give to children the future they are risking their lives for? Are we ready to be ready, the European Union?”
UNICEF is facing an unprecedented challenge in Europe since the Second World War. Most of its resources are used to crises in Africa or the Middle East, and Europe accounts for only 3 percent of the entire budget, said Marie-Pierre Poirier.
