Systems urgently needed to prevent deaths on open seas

July 12, 2012: Much better systems of search and rescue are needed to keep people from dying on the open seas, says JRS Europe in response to the deaths of 54 people yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea while on route from Libya to Italy.

According to the UN Refugee Agency the sole survivor of the tragedy, an Eritrean man, said that everyone on board the vessel had perished from dehydration during the 15-day ordeal. The boat left from Tripoli in late June and arrived to Italian shores a day later, but was forced back to the open sea due to high winds. Shortly afterward the boat was punctured and air began to leak out. The man was found floating on what was left of the boat. Over half of the people who died were Eritrean.

“It is absolutely inexcusable that a boat carrying 55 migrants can be left to their fate in one of the busiest and most surveilled seas in the world”, says Stefan Kessler, Senior Advocacy Officer for JRS Europe.

JRS Italy President Giovanni LaManna deplores this latest tragedy as one that could have been avoided. “For the umpteenth time we have to count the number of deaths of people in the Mediterranean in their desperate attempt to reach Europe. This event once again forces us to ask questions whose answers can no longer be ignored”.

JRS Europe urges EU leaders and member state governments to put in place systems that can reliably identify boats in distress and initiate actions for their immediate rescue. It is extremely urgent that such systems ensure that people who seek protection in Europe are able to do so as safely as possible. “This tragedy is a clear reminder that the EU must take all necessary measures to ensure that external border management systems prioritise people’s safety and access to protection”, argues Mr Kessler.

In December 2011, the European Commission published a legislative proposal for European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR). If adopted, it would lead to an integrated management system for the EU’s external borders, in cooperation with the EU border agency Frontex. In a recent letter to the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee, JRS Europe and other NGOs voiced concern that such a system would overemphasize border control at the expense of fundamental human rights.

“The EUROSUR proposal does not give any priority for search and rescue”, says Mr Kessler. “It does not provide for any measures that would mitigate the risk of deaths at sea and for reducing the human cost that is associated with border control systems”. “It would be important for the EUROSUR proposal to set out clear responsibilities for EU governments in relation to search and rescue. We can no longer afford confusion over who does what”, continued Mr Kessler.

In addition, JRS Europe urges EU governments to resettle more refugees. A EU joint resettlement programme, set to enter into force in 2013, has the potential to safeguard people’s journey to Europe for protection and to reduce the necessity of crossing the open sea by boat. “Resettling more refugees into Europe, alongside an external border system that prioritizes human life, is a sure way to improve the EU’s standing in the world as a region that values human dignity and fundamental rights above all”, concludes Mr Kessler.