Paper details

Paper authors	Francesca Pusterla
In panel on	Everyday violence and resistance in Europe’s ‘migration management’ during the Covid-19 pandemic
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

This paper investigates the European Union and member states’ humanitarian measures in tackling global humanitarian crises entailing international migrants and displaced people to Europe. Notably, it addresses the evolution of humanitarian practices in the last years, with particular attention, e.g. on the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the European Commission’s Communication ‘on the EU’s humanitarian action: new challenges, same principles’. The aim is to display how the EU and member states’ humanitarian policy reacted to the migrants and refugees emergency and which impact such policy may have in terms of violence against people in need. Notably, the paper divides into three parts, addressing as many levels of violence associated with specific drawbacks to welcoming and integrating migrants in Europe. First, the article focuses on violence at the European level or the EU’s humanitarian aid policy’s key actions inserted in the EC Communication to contain and prevent migration. Second, it highlights violence at the national level or the threat (real or perceived) represented by migrants to EU member states’ internal fragility. Third, it stresses violence at the individual level or the implications of the first two challenges to the everyday violence against migrants and people providing help to them (especially at the non-governmental level). These challenges are addressed through desktop research based on primary and secondary literature (i.e. EU’s, NGOs’ and IO’s communications and reports), open discussions with implementing partners (e.g. VOICE, Red Cross EU Office, MSF, ICRC), and follow-up email conversations.

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