Journey to Europe: Human traffickers promise just 2 hours in a cooler

British authorities last week found 39 bodies in a container at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, 20 miles east of London. Many migrant aid organizations, politicians, and people who have been victims of illegal border crossings to Europe expressed shock at the incident and called for measures to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy.

“The traffickers told us we would only have two hours in the refrigerated truck with the meat and chicken. But the truck didn’t move for two hours. We were almost dead when they released us. Words cannot describe how I felt when I heard about the bodies found in the refrigerated truck. It reminded me of my own horrible journey.”

This is the sharing of Ahmad al-Rashid from Syria with his 55-day journey to Europe. Speaking on the UK's Channel 4, Ahmad al-Rashid called for the reopening of legal routes for migrants to Europe.

According to figures from the UK's National Crime Agency, the number of people illegally entering the UK in containers has risen sharply in recent years. The agency warned that "illegal" entry methods into the UK are increasingly being organised by criminal immigration gangs. There have been similar tragedies and in the wake of the latest incident, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said all those involved in human trafficking must be hunted down and brought to justice.

The recent heartbreaking event may have led to a tightening of Europe’s fight against illegal human trafficking. However, many humanitarian organizations for migrants also believe that opening legal routes to Europe would also be a measure to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy.

The Italian Catholic community of Sant'Egidio called the tragedy unacceptable for human rights in Europe and called on the European Union institutions and countries to take urgent measures to prevent similar tragedies. The Catholic community of Sant'Egidio also called for the reopening of legal migration routes to Europe due to labor needs and the promotion of humanitarian corridors for refugees.

The German migrant advocacy organization Pro Asyl believes that the EU should share responsibility for the tragedies that occur. Executive Director of Pro Asyl Günter Burkhardt stressed that if European politicians push the fate of people into the hands of smugglers or criminals, by blocking all routes to Europe, then Europe must also share responsibility./.