Violence and Abuse Against Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Europe

Abstract: In the past two years, Europe has witnessed a surge of violence against refugees and asylum seekers. The continent’s mismanagement of the Syrian refugee crisis has led to security forces, right-wing vigilante groups and organized criminals to abuse and assault those seeking refuge in Europe with impunity. With governments and the EU ignoring these issues and failing to uphold basic principles of human rights, this violent trend will persist.

Last year’s warm welcome of asylum seekers in western Europe has proven to be short-lived. By and large, refugees in Europe face not only a cold reception, but also an increasing amount of open and violent hostility. In fact, the number of violent incidents has spiked across the continent. At this point, Europe appears not only to be unable to manage the political fallout from the large number of refugees and asylum seekers inside its borders, but also to be regularly failing to guarantee their safety and security.