Refugees and asylum-seekers in Tunisia are in endless suffering
On Thursday, 12 October 2021 Sudanese refugee Saber Adam Mohamed (26 years old) died after an industrial accident at one of the plastic industries in the area of Megrine. The deceased has arrived in Tunisia since 2019 seeking security and he granted a refugee status hoping that it would grant him some protection. But facing the lack of employment, he was forced to work in a way that did not preserve his rights and in conditions that did not require his safety.
Sudanese asylum-seeker Ibrahim Isaac also died of a health crisis. He arrived in Tunisia following Libyan events of 2011, he was denied asylum and forced to remain in harsh conditions without the minimum services in the Al-Shousha camp until he was forcibly evacuated in 2017 he was moved with other refugees to the Marsa Youth Home, where they were left behind after everyone abandoned them, noting that the deceased was suffering from diseases requiring medical follow-up.
Recently, the regions of Sfax and Mednin also witnessed protests by some refugees and asylum-seekers as a result of poor services provided in a socially and economically difficult situation as a result of the pandemic.
The political, economic and social situation in Tunisia and the lack of basic services drive many refugees and asylum-seekers to become an easy prey to migrant smuggling networks and irregular migration.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights
Reminds the Tunisian state that it has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and the legislation protecting the rights of refugees with the necessary obligations towards them.
Emphasizes that encouraging refugees and asylum-seekers to rely on themselves to have livelihoods and basic services does not mean pushing for their employment under conditions that do not preserve their rights, dignity and safety.
Demands the State and organizations concerned with the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers to provide adequate living resources to all refugees and applicants for international protection.
Renews its request to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and humanitarian organizations to assume their responsibilities in finding sustainable and radical solutions to the situation of asylum-seekers deported from the former AL-Shousha camp who were abandoned by these organizations many years ago.
Emphasizes the need to upgrade and develop the legal system relating to migration and asylum so that it responds to international standards and the priority of launching a national migration strategy that ensures integration and the protection of rights.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
The president Abd-Alrahman Al-Hdhili
