Borders that Kill: Tougher migration policies aggravate the health problems of people on the move

Many migrants and refugees are forced to resort to irregular migration routes on which their lives are at risk

This analysis provides an overview of the situation of vulnerability of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in different parts of the world due to the tightening of migration policies. MSF is direct witnesses to a worrying global trend towards more restrictive migration policies, in which the protection guaranteed by international humanitarian law is gradually being eroded, while both those seeking a better future far from home and the organizations that try to assist them in this endeavor are being criminalized. We are observing a worsening of the consequences of these migration policies on the physical and mental health of so-called ‘people on the move’. While forced displacement is a phenomenon that generates significant flows of movement on all continents, this article focuses on the situation in the Darien jungle (Colombia-Panama border) and in Europe and its neighboring countries.