The Impact of EU Political Ambiguity Towards Migrant Crisis on the Mental Health of Migrants

Abstract

For last couple of years, EU is facing migrant crisis that is challenging its capacity to help and its unity to decide the modes of assistance. Such political context brings additional uncertainty and insecurity into migrants’ lives which causes extreme experiences that are often damaging migrants’ mental health. In humanitarian plans regarding assistance for migrants, mental health is a cross cutting issue. Status of mental health is a result of complex intertwining of genetics, developmental and current life experiences. The experience of migration is a current life event which highly determines migrants’ mental health. Hardships of travel along migration route are worsened by often hostile reception by authorities at borders of countries that are on the way to desired rich EU countries. On migrants’ way to desired safety, there are countries like Slovenia and Hungary which protect their borders with wire. Therefore, migrants are stuck in countries, like Greece and Croatia, which are not their desirable destination. While waiting to get free passage, migrants are exposed to various political rhetoric of politicians of EU countries who hold their destiny in their hands. Migration experience does not make migrants mentally ill but it does make them vulnerable in that respect. Migrants’ vulnerability is highly challenged by ambiguity of political decisions, media coverage influenced by the same policies and concomitant changes in immediate surrounding. It is crucial to make publicly clear that political decisions mean life or death, health or mental disorder to migrants and that therefore they at least carry ethical responsibility.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.