More migrants die in Mediterranean as risks increase

(Vatican Radio) New and more dangerous smuggling practices and riskier routes have led to a spike in the number of migrants dying as they attempt to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, according to a new report. The International Organization for Migration’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre said 2,901 people died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2016. This represented a 37 percent increase over the same period of last year.

78 percent of migrant deaths or disappearances worldwide occurred on the so-called Central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy. The head of the International Organization of Migration’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) is Frank Laczko and he spoke to Susy Hodges about the reasons behind this rising death toll. 

Listen to Frank Laczko of the GMDAC:  

Laczko said while the total numbers of migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year is roughly at the same level as 2015, it’s “shocking” that the number of fatalities has increased “quite significantly.” He noted that this spike in the number of deaths and/or disappearances comes despite the increased number of search-and-rescue operations taking place in the Mediterranean. 

As to the reasons for this rising death toll, Laczko said there are a number of potential factors, especially the “increasingly ruthless” attitude of the people smugglers who are cramming migrants into unseaworthy vessels and who show “a complete disregard for the safety of migrants.”

Saying there’s a need for more legal channels for migrants to be able to come to Europe to work, Laczko predicts this will be a key topic during the first ever global summit hosted by the U.N. that will discuss how to address large movements of refugees and migrants, taking place in September in New York.

He said this report by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) points to the need for better information campaigns to make sure would-be-migrants know and understand the risks and dangers of making the journey to Europe. With this in mind, Laczko said the IOM has launched an information campaign in Niger where he said many migrants return to their homes from Libya with “horrendous stories” about the mistreatment they received there.