The families of our soldiers carrying out duties on the Polish-Belarusian border are worried about their loved ones. Activist Agnieszka Stefańska, who has been to bases on the border twice, answers the question “what should soldiers’ families know about female and male refugees?” with: “they are people just like us and we should simply help.”

– I think that for the loved ones of soldiers sent to what is known as the defense of the border, this is certainly a difficult situation – says Agnieszka Stefańska. – In my opinion, it is important to know that helping is legal and that everyone can help according to the resources they have. Give someone a warm cup of tea, food, or warm clothes. Every one of us can do that. And we must remember that these are people just like us and we should simply help. Unfortunately, the situation there (on the Polish-Belarusian border – editor’s note) is difficult when it comes to the hierarchy. Military services are obliged to carry out orders. However, not everyone carries out those orders in a way that harms refugees – added the volunteer.

How can we avoid harming migrants? Do not use violence against female and male refugees being expelled, and do not take their personal belongings, because these are the only things these people have.

– We know that the Border Guard destroys their phones and takes their clothes – says Stefańska. – These people will not survive if they do not have these things. This is very important; even when orders must be carried out, it is possible to retain one’s humanity – she adds.

We asked Agnieszka Stefańska about the estimated number of refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border, in connection with an interview Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki gave to the German newspaper BILD several days ago.

– We do not have precise information – says Agnieszka Stefańska. – It is the same as with information about how many people have died in the forest. However, we know that at this moment there may be several thousand people on the border. It is worth remembering that this is not a large number of people when we consider how many people Poland accepts as migrants each year. At this moment, we have information about 4,000 people who managed to reach Germany; this may be an estimated number of people currently on the border. Around 4–5 thousand. In 2020, Poland accepted 600,000 migrants from countries such as Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. It would seem that people from Ukraine, Belarus or Georgia are more economically useful to us, which is why these figures are not discussed in the same way – adds the volunteer.

What is Grupa Granica?

Grupa Granica monitors the situation in the border area. It is a grassroots initiative bringing together 14 non-governmental organizations working for human rights and supporting refugees and migrants in Poland. It consists of: Nomada Association, Association for Legal Intervention, Homo Faber, Polish Migration Forum, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Salam Lab, Dom Otwarty, Halina Nieć Legal Aid Centre, CHLEBEM I SOLĄ, uchodźcy.info, RATS Agency, Kuchnia Konfliktu, Strefa WolnoSłowa, Przystanek “Świetlica” for refugee children, as well as independent activists, female activists, residents of the border area and others.

See what Grupa Granica does and how it operates

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