Mary Robinson warns history will judge refugee response

Mary Robinson captivated an interparliamentary committee meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels with a stark warning that Europe must provide “significant new resources” for the assistance of refugees and that burden must be “shared more fairly”.

The former Irish president encouraged the packed auditorium of European parliamentarians to consider how they would be judged by history if they failed to act speedily and appropriately.

“We know what must be done”, she said, and went on to address the particular issues of women migrants who now, with children, outnumber men, and face the threat of rape, the demand for sex in return for services, and health issues related to pregnancy and birth.