Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] released images from the “desert no man’s land” between Jordan and Syria on Thursday showing thousands of refugees trapped in the area. The images show how dire the humanitarian situation has become, displaying makeshift grave sites and an estimated 75,000 refugees trapped in the area known as the Berm. Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at AI, commented [press release] on the images stating

It’s a desperate picture for people trapped at the berm, food is running out and disease is rife. In some cases people are suffering or even dying from preventable illnesses, simply because they are not allowed into Jordan and the authorities have blocked access for aid, medical treatment and a meaningful humanitarian response.

AI has called for meaningful dialogue and international action to address the refugee crisis as world leaders plan to meet in New York next week for the UN and Obama summits.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issues around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. Earlier this month Human Rights Watch and AI said [JURIST report] that the draft of the final outcome document for the upcoming UN summit on refugees falls short of dealing with the issue effectively. Also in September UNICEF released a report [JURIST report] that found that nearly 50 million children have been uprooted from their homes across the globe. In April in April UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged [JURIST report] world leaders to accept more refugees and to combat the growing international anti-refugee sentiments.