Swiss-based Filipina Artist Tina Heiter Writes About the European Refugee Crisis #refugeecrisis

My artist friend, Tina Borja Heiter, who had attended Maryknoll College and who is now a resident of Switzerland, sent in her comments re the European Refugee Crisis.  Tina Heiter is a Switzerland-based Filipino artist who exhibits her art in Zurich. Tina holds a degree in Foreign Service majoring in Political Science and History, thus her keen interest in politics. Tina has held several exhibits in Switzerland and is presently preparing for another solo exhibit in Galerie am Schanzenbgraben in September 2016. Follow her link at http://theheitergallery.webs.com

~~~

This refugee crisis has consumed my interest.

Europe is overwhelmed with the mass exodus from Syria and Africa. Europe is being criticized by the US media, particularly by CNN, for not doing enough. The unpreparedness of the EU -- just reeling from the Greek crisis as well as the mass immigration from Africa entering via the Italian borders for economic reasons, and then having to face the huge number of refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq -- is epic. 

Opinion: Celine Arvisu-Quinio On the European Refugee Crisis #refugeecrisis

Celine Arvisu-Quinio

Continuing the conversation on the current European Refugee Crisis, I'm posting comments by Celine Arvisu-Quinio, another graduate of Maryknoll College, Philippines. Celine is currently in Italy to do communications work for the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission of the Union of Superior Generals (heads of congregations of men and women religious) with headquarters in Rome.

~~~

Cecilia Brainard:  Is the current refugee crisis affecting you?  How?

Celine Arvisu-Quinio: Yes. No matter where I might be in the world, I cannot ignore the anguish and suffering of the millions of people fleeing their country in fear for their lives. Survival is what drives them to leave despite the uncertainty of what lies ahead. “There is no wall you would not climb, no sea you would not cross if you are fleeing violence and terror.” (Dimitris Avromopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration)

Opinion: Aurorita Mendoza On the European Refugee Crisis #refugeecrisis

"In my dealings with migrant communities ...I find that they are just like you and me." 
~ by Aurorita Mendoza, International Consultant on International Affairs

AURORITA MENDOZA, an International Consultant on International Affairs, answers my questions about the current European Refugee Crisis.  Aurorita attended Maryknoll College in the Philippines and worked for years at the UNAIDS as Regional Program Adviser and Advocacy Adviser. She now lives in Switzerland.

She says she is not an unbiased stakeholder on issues related to migration. For several years now, she has been engaged in the field of migration, particularly from the perspective of migrant health, doing research, policy and program development, and collaborations with institutional and civil society mechanisms. Her area of specialization is the Southeast Asian region, but the factors fueling migration as well as migration policy and program issues cut across regional borders.  Her perspectives are based on interactions with Bhutanese refugees during her three years in Nepal and working on migrant issues in the Mekong region. This engagement is the basis of her belief that the response to migration/refugee crises in any part of the world must be a non-discriminatory and humanitarian one.

Opinion: Michaela Keck On the European Refugee Crisis #refugeecrisis

Dr. Michaela Keck

The refugee crisis in Europe has dominated the news ever since the the Syrian child, Aylan Kurdi, drowned. The image of his dead body came to symbolize the refugee crisis in Europe. Daily we read of migrants drowning as they journey across the short but turbulent stretch of the Mediterranean. We read of the tension between the refugees and Hungarian police. We read of the heightening of border control in European countries as they try to figure out how to deal with the surge of asylum seekers.