Criminalisation of humanitarian assistance
European Union (EU) and national policies are increasingly affecting civil society organisations and individuals who provide humanitarian assistance and access to rights to undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. As documented by the ReSOMA collaborative research, new criminalisation trends emerged in the context of the so-called “European refugee humanitarian crisis” aiming to punish the facilitation of entry and residence of irregular immigrants in the Member States. This is often due to the unclear distinction between what is and is not smuggling, humanitarian assistance and financial gain. As a result, EU and national policies tend to hinder the movement and operations of NGOs providing humanitarian assistance by means of legal restrictions and administrative penalties. ReSOMA aims to further monitor criminalisation cases and threats while highlighting the litigation strategies used and their outcomes. In particular, it aims at documenting the great diversity in the guidelines and arguments used by lawyers, legal systems and national governments to address and avoid criminalisation.
Discussion on Topic
Curated tweets by ReSOMA_EURelated items from the Migration Research Hub
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| Authors | Adam Bourne, G. J. Melendez-Torres, An Thanh Ly, ... |
| Year | 2021 |
| Citations (WoS) | 3 |
'Sea of blood': the intended and unintended effects of criminalising humanitarian volunteers assisting migrants in distress at sea
| Authors | Eleanor Gordon, Henrik Kjellmo Larsen |
| Year | 2021 |
| Journal Name | DISASTERS |
| Citations (WoS) | 9 |
Criminalising Migration: The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity and Irregularity
| Authors | Matilde Rosina |
| Year | 2024 |
Caste criminalisation in South India and permanent migration to Fiji, 1903-1927
| Authors | Alexander Persaud |
| Year | 2025 |
Manufacturing mandates: Property, race, and the criminalisation of trespass in England and Wales
| Authors | Samuel Burgum, Helen Jones, Ryan Powell |
| Year | 2022 |
| Journal Name | Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space |
Strategic litigation: the role of EU and international law in criminalising humanitarianism
| Authors | Carmine Conte, Seán Binder, Migration Policy Group (MPG) |
| Year | 2019 |
‘County lines’: racism, safeguarding and statecraft in Britain
| Authors | Insa Koch, Insa Koch, Patrick Williams, ... |
| Year | 2023 |
| Journal Name | Race & Class |
| Citations (WoS) | 8 |
Criminalizing migrants who steer the dinghies in the Mediterranean : a collateral effect of migration management?
| Authors | Alexandra RICARD-GUAY |
| Year | 2018 |
Excesses and double standards: migrant prostitutes, sovereignty and exceptions in contemporary Italy
| Authors | Irene Peano |
| Year | 2012 |
| Journal Name | Modern Italy |
Beyond the criminalisation of migration: a non-western perspective
| Authors | Jean Pierre Cassarino |
| Year | 2018 |
| Journal Name | International Journal of Migration and Border Studies |
View All Topic Research
Resources
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Contentious Migrant Solidarity - Shrinking Spaces and Civil Society Contestation
Authors: Donatella della Porta & Elias Steinhilper
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French appeals court decision is a victory for solidarity with Migrants
Authors: Janina Pescinski
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Hearing with migrants’ rights defenders in Greece
Authors: UN Special Rapporteur On Human Rights Defenders
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The new EU Action plan against migrant smuggling is failing migrants
Authors: PICUM
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Greece: Scandalous Sentence for Young Refugee, Request to Commission, Legal Action Before ECtHR and Ombudsman Report on Pushbacks
Authors: ECRE
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Lesbos: 26 year-old Syrian faces 44 years imprisonment because he steered the boat
Authors: Borderline-Europe
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Judgment of the multiple chamber for the handling of criminal cases 18/830221-19
Authors: Court of the Northern Netherlands
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Hearing No. 1 with defenders of migrants' rights in Greece (video)
Authors: UN Special Rapporteur On Human Rights Defenders
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Protecting civil society space: strengthening freedom of association, assembly and expression and the right to defend rights in the EU
Authors: European Parliament Think Tank
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Picking ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ While the Orchard Burns: the Costs of Policing Humanitarian Actors in Italy and Greece as a Strategy to Prevent Migrant Smuggling
Authors: Jennifer Allsopp, Lina Vosyliūtė & Stephanie Brenda Smialowski