In reports we commonly hear the use of verbal abuse, including racial slurs, personal attacks, and threats, against people on the move. This type of psychological violence can cause significant emotional distress and harm to individuals, particularly when targeting vulnerable groups such as refugees and asylum seekers. Insulting behaviour violates fundamental human rights and breaches international laws and standards, such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), particularly Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), as well as the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
“We told the police we wanted to apply for asylum, they laughed and said we were all Talibans”
— Respondent in Bihać
The prevalence of racist and sexist comments which occur during pushbacks and incidents of border violence demonstrate the discrimination which is rife in the forces which perpetrate violence against people on the move. Border violence is racist not only because it operates as a mechanism of a racist and exclusionary border regime, but also because we consistely see racist, nationalistic, and facist comments directed against people on the move while violence is enacted.
