A recently published UNHCR report stated that 1,500 people are feared to have drowned while crossing the Mediterranean in 2011. This would make 2011 the most deadly year since migrant crossings started towards the turn of the century.

But such numbers are only, very clearly, the tip of the iceberg. The boat people phenomenon was at its highest during the collapse of the Gaddafi regime, and it became abundantly clear that immigration, far from being controlled by Muammar Gaddafi, was being used as a tool. And it also became clear that this was a pattern that had built up over the years. If one looks back at the last decade or so, immigrant arrivals often peaked when Gaddafi was having some argument or other with Europe (including Italy and Malta).

The UNHCR report in question makes for harrowing reading. People were forced aboard boats in the final months of the Gaddafi regime at gunpoint. No one is disputing that they wanted to get into Europe, but to cram hundreds of people onto rickety, unseaworthy boats at gunpoint is just criminal.

It gets even worse. The boats themselves had no navigation equipment and most of the time, the passengers themselves were made to pilot them. We have seen many tragic instances over the years. The most common being the capsizing of boats as soon as help arrived in the form of usually Maltese or Italian Coast Guard or Maritime Squadron vessels. In fact, the Armed Forces of Malta had adopted as standard procedure the practice of staying away from a vessel and communicating the instructions of the rescue operation from a distance. They had seen it all too many times before. As soon as help arrived, the passengers would rush to one side of the boat. The result would often be tragic: The boat would capsize, there would be no life vests and not many (clothed) people on board able to swim.

Even the UNHCR warns that its estimates are probably not on par with the real number of people who have lost their lives trying to get into Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. We can only guess and hope that the toll is not as bad as many fear.

The AFM was praised by the UNHCR for its efforts in persevering to rescue people on boats who find themselves stranded on the high seas, and in particular during bad weather. One has to actually go out on some of the AFM’s boats and talk to the crews while on exercises to understand just how bad it can get out there. The fact that the AFM has been afforded some funding to boost maritime assets has been a great help, but at the end of the day, it is the dedication of those who man the Search and Rescue Centre, as well as those who physically get in the boats and deal with the trauma of witnessing such harrowing scenes.

The issue of boat migration is not settled by any stretch. Free Libya has pledged that it will do all it can to prevent a tide of people from leaving its shores. But to do that, its Prime Minister said that it needs money and assets in order to patrol its shores. The crux of the matter here is preserving life. If people are no longer forced to get into boats at gunpoint, some might be tempted to say “well they took the risk”. Granted. But it is still our duty, as a nation and a people, to do all we can to save those who find themselves in difficulty.