Democracy cannot survive without compassion

As the European Union (EU) and world leaders try to get the massive influx of mainly Syrian refugees under control and find a permanent, lasting solution to the ongoing crisis, many people of other war-torn countries are being overlooked.

Considerably denied the prospect of legal resettlement in Europe and struggling to find work or assistance in Turkey, Afghans, for example, account for roughly a third of the migrants who are risking their lives to cross into Europe.

At an emergency summit in Brussels, EU executives announced a Dh12.14 billion fund aimed at helping refugees stranded in Turkey and encourage them to stay where they are.

Aid workers warned that whilst Afghans are unlikely to be restricted from using services such as medical centres and education facilities set up with European funds in Turkey, the fact that they speak Pashto and Dari, rather than Arabic, risks them from being excluded from long-term projects designed for Syrians.

As Turkey is often the third country of arrival on their preferred journey to Europe, refugees are simply told that they should have registered in the second country of arrival, which in many cases happens to be Iran. Afghan refugees nevertheless differ with officials, claiming they are pressured to leave the country and illegally deported by Iranian authorities, a claim which has been echoed by several international human rights organisations.

Another worry surrounds the cash cards given to some Syrian refugees by local charities to help meet their basic living conditions, whereas no such scheme is set up for refugees of other origins. The mass departure from Afghanistan has been prompted by an increasingly dangerous security situation due to Taliban insurgency, with over 10,000 civilians killed or injured last year alone, as well as extensive institutionalised corruption and a collapsed economy that cannot provide enough work for its population.

In times like these, it’s extremely important for world leaders to come together, show consistency in their approach to a serious crisis and manage them in a fair manner without alienating people who are fleeing war and persecution in their home countries.

After all, democracy as a whole and notably our respected democratic values cannot survive without compassion.

— The reader is a German editorial director based in Abu Dhabi