Last week, the UN celebrated the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a document that asserts the rights of people who, fleeing their homes in desperation, have very few advocates. Its mission is more important than ever, as refugees continue to struggle for their rights across the world, even in some of its wealthiest regions.
In Europe, years after its migrant crisis began, authorities across the continent are still struggling to come up with solutions.
In Britain, Home Secretary Priti Patel is proposing new laws to clampdown on those who enter the country illegally. The bill includes plans to process asylum claims abroad and harsh punishments against migrants who cross the English Channel illegally, including prison terms of up to four years. For people smugglers themselves, life imprisonment is on the cards.
The bill's intentions are severe and controversial, but perhaps its most basic shortcoming is whether it is enforceable. Opposition politicians, who object to it morally, have also said that practically it is "riddled with holes and fatally flawed".
A crackdown, however, is thought by the government to be an easy political victory in a country where a large share of voters are considered to be against rising levels of immigration. Prime Minister Boris Johnson should not assume this is the case. The RNLI, a lifeboat charity that is currently protecting those making the journey, has seen an increase in public donations. Ms Patel's bill could even criminalise their work.
In Greece, police have said they are preparing criminal charges against 10 people, who they allege to have helped migrants enter the country illegally. All 10 are foreign nationals, indicative of a common difficulty for law enforcement agencies who are up against global criminal networks.
The National has reported recently on an operation led by Romanian police that broke up a migrant-smuggling gang operating in the Balkans. The group included members from Egypt, Iraq, Romania and Syria. Those using their services paid between €4,000 and €10,000 ($4,747 to $11,870) depending on the route and destination they chose.
Such raids are complex, and prosecutions hard to secure. Smugglers need to be stopped, but gangs in Europe are the tailend of a crisis that cannot be solved only in courts. Regional instability that fuelled the crisis in 2015 is ongoing. And protecting those caught up in the process is not straightforward. Refugees fleeing persecution have a right, by international law, to seek protection in other countries. Migrants are not in the same bracket, but taking extreme measures to seek a better life is often the product of impossibly difficult conditions at home.
Criminal intent is not fuelling the crisis, but a fundamentally human one to live in peace and work for a better future. People seeking safety should not be political footballs in European parliaments, but the centre around which new, ethical policies are drawn up.
A criminal approach is absolutely right for those who have enriched themselves through human trafficking. But a heavy-handed legal solution would not be right for the victims of such criminals, who are lured into arrangements on the basis of false promises or desperation. They do not deserve punishment from the places they thought would shelter them at the end of long and dangerous journeys.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20Roundup
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
SPECS
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
MO
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
