Over 11,901 people seeking protection were pushed back at the European Union's internal and external borders during 2021, a report from Protecting Rights at Borders says. Around one third of illegal expulsions were reported by Afgha1
440 people on board the German migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 have arrived in Sicily, southern Italy, on New Year's Eve. Two days later, the last of them disembarked in the port of Pozzallo.
The UN children's agency UNICEF says that children have suffered grave rights violations over the past year. The agency called for "concrete measures" to protect children from abuse, including abduction and sexual violence.
EU rules call for the nation where asylum seekers first enter the bloc to process requests for protection. But most applications in Germany come from people other EU countries failed to register, a media report says.
The number of refugees and migrants still on the Greek islands in the Aegean has decreased toward the end of the year. The conditions for the remaining migrants however remain precarious, according to various aid organizations.