Tragic image of drowned father and child spurs migration debate
Thursday, 27 June 2019 (15:53 IST)
United Nations: The drowning of a father and his toddler daughter in the Rio Grande is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy that countries should do all in their power to prevent happening in the future, the head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has said.
Filippo Grandi’s comments about Oscar Ramirez and his 23-month-old daughter Valeria follow the publication of a photograph showing them lying face down in the shallows of the river that separates Mexico from the United States.
They had come from El Salvador and according to reports, were carried away by strong currents in the fast-flowing river on Sunday.
In a statement, High Commissioner Grandi on Thursday said that their deaths represented “a failure to address the violence and desperation” that pushes people to take dangerous journeys in search of a life of safety and dignity.
A lack of safe pathways for migrants forces them to risk their lives, he said, before adding that UNHCR has suggested ways that the United States can improve and strengthen processing of asylum-seekers, including conditions in detention. (UNI)
