The UN human rights office has accused the European Union of condoning human rights violations with its migration policy in a report on migrant routes to Europe across the central Mediterranean.

The fact that people aren’t protected isn’t a tragic singular incident but instead, the consequence of decisions and policies of the EU, its member states and institutions, as well as Libyan authorities, the office said in its report released on Wednesday.

The office called on the bloc to urgently revamp its rescue services between Libya and member states, saying it robbed migrants of fundamental human rights, dignity and in some cases even their lives.

“The real tragedy is that so much of the suffering and death along the central Mediterranean route is preventable,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

People were dying at sea because rescuers were not reaching them or too late or not at all.

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The Libyan coastguard is carrying out more rescues at the behest of the European Union in international waters and bringing the migrants back to Libya, which is clearly not a safe haven for people, it said.

Bachelet, however, called on the EU to create more legal routes for migrants.

“We can all agree that no one should feel compelled to risk their lives, or those of their families, on unseaworthy boats in search of safety and dignity.

“But the answer cannot be simply preventing departures from Libya or making the journeys more desperate and dangerous,” she added.

(dpa/NAN)