Quote:
Originally Posted by spiderplant
Generally to the nearest safe country. Here's the top ten (thank you, Wikipedia).
- Turkey
- Pakistan
- Lebanon
- Iran
- Bangladesh
- Uganda
- Ethiopia
- Jordan
- Germany
- Democratic Republic of Congo
UK is 29th in the list. |
They may be the initial countries, but they are not the final desired destination. Eg They make it to Turkey, live there for a couple of years, have a home, jobs, etc, but still insist on risking their lives by attempting to cross by sea in a dinghy to Greece, to move to the West.
From 2015 UNHCR report about Syrians in Greece
Quote:
60% said they had previously spent time in Turkey (31% had no reply to
this question), often in hotels and hostels
...
90% wanted to find asylum somewhere else in the EU, mostly in Germany
and Sweden, for better assistance and employment opportunities. More
than half intended to apply for family reunification once they arrived.
|
Norwegian Refugee Council
Quote:
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European politicians are struggling to deal with the consequences of the urgent measures introduced after the major influx of asylum seekers in 2015, when more than one million people applied for asylum in European countries. At that time, most came by sea from Turkey to Greece, before traveling further through the Balkans to countries in Western Europe.
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And of course they've usually travelled hundreds or thousands of miles, all perfectly safely within their own country to begin with.