As we highlighted in our short report “What did 2014 leave behind?”, the Mediterranean Sea marks the world’s deadliest crossing for hundreds of asylum seekers and immigrants!

During 2014, thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers, some trafficked and others forced to flee their countries such as Syria, Palestine and others due to brutal conflicts, humanitarian crises and widespread human rights violations, have drowned in the sea trying to reach Europe. 

In 2013, in response to the October 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck in which hundreds of people lost their lives, the Italian government launched the "Mare Nostrum" mission, an Italian Navy led rescue operation marking a significant effort to prevent the rising death toll in the Mediterranean by saving thousands. However, in November 2014 the Mare Nostrum operation, which had been criticized by many European countries that encouraged more immigrants to cross the sea, ended. 

In 2014, the EU border Force -Frontex- launched the “Joint Operation Triton” with a significant lack of resources and geographic scope, focusing more on border surveillance and much less on rescue operations! 

As Klaus Rosler, Frontex’s operations director said “Triton is not a replacement for Mare Nostrum […] [and] Frontex is not a coordinating body for search and rescue operations. The responsibility of member states to ensure search and rescue operations and maritime security on this is not substituted for – or suspended by – a border surveillance operation.”  (Davies & Neslen, 2015)

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) “the large majority of deaths in 2014 occurred in the Mediterranean, accounting for an estimated 75 per cent (3,072) of all deaths this year.” (IOM, 2014, p.20) 

During this year, the UNHCR asked the EU “for a robust search-and-rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea as part of a number of “bold and innovative” solutions to prevent more refugees and migrants losing their lives at sea.” (As cited in UN News Centre, 2015)

UNHCR estimates that since the beginning of 2015 more than 900 people have died during their effort to cross the Mediterranean. 

The latest tragedy is the shipwreck in the Mediterranean north of Libya, in which an estimated 700 immigrants and asylum seekers are feared to have lost their lives, since only 50 have been saved so far. (Fantz et al, 2015) 

In response to this latest tragic incident, the European Commission made a statement underlining that “the only way to truly change the reality is to address the situation at its roots.” 

It also said that “it is currently consulting with Member States, European agencies and international organisations in order to prepare a new European Migration Strategy […] to prevent further loss of life as well as a comprehensive approach to managing migration better in all its aspects.” 

CITIZENS RIGHTS WATCH (CRW) calls European governments to stop ignoring the situation and to take collective action immediately! 

We ask the European governments to follow their international obligations by rescuing those in distress at sea as it is guaranteed under the International law of the sea!

We claim that instead of focusing on tightening border control and security, they should promptly launch a robust search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean in order to prevent the death of more people at sea!

Sources:

Adler (2015) “EU seeks solutions to its Mediterranean crisis”, BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31844802

Davies & Neslen (2014) “Italy: end of ongoing sea rescue mission ‘puts thousands at risk” The Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/31/italy-sea-mission-thousands-risk

European Commission “European Commission Statement on developments in the Mediterranean” Statement/15/4800, (Brussels, 19 April 2015), Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-15-4800_en.htm

Fantz et al (2015) “Genocide' charged as boat capsizes in Mediterranean” CNN. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/19/africa/italy-migrant-boat-capsizes/

IOM, “Fatal Journeys Tracking Lives Lost during Migration” 2014 Report Available at: http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/FatalJourneys_CountingtheUncounted.pdf

UN News Centre (2015) “UN proposes ‘bold and innovative’ measures by Europe to reduce lives lost at sea” Available at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50308#.VTQlk_nF-oM

UNHCR (2015) “UNHCR shock at latest deaths on Mediterranean, rescue capacity needed more urgently than ever” Available at: http://www.unhcr.org/552e54cf9.html