29,000 lives. That’s how many died while making the migration journey to Europe since 2014, the author report by the International Organization for Migration said. 29,000 people leaving families behind to mourn their loss. 29,000 people who left their country for fear of persecution, fear of war, or just to try and find a better life. 29,000 people taken from this earth far too soon.
Not all of these used the Central Mediterranean route, but this route is the deadliest - 2,836 migrants and refugees have died or disappeared since January 2021 attempting to reach Europe through this route. The second deadliest is the Atlantic route from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands, where more than 1,500 deaths were recorded since 2021.
Yes, human traffickers are to blame. Yes, migrants not eligible for asylum or other forms of protection should be returned back home. But not doing enough to make sure that people don’t die while making the crossing is unacceptable. Has Europe, including Malta, done enough in terms of search and rescue? Has Europe done enough to combat human trafficking? Has Europe done enough to offer safe routes for asylum seekers? These are all questions we should be asking.
The Home Affairs Minister had told this newsroom last month that the AFM is continuously under unjust attack. “They are professionals in their work, men and women with families who conduct their work daily. Over the years they saved thousands of people and sometimes the thanks some people give them, is to continue attacking them.”
Whether the AFM is doing its best with the resources it has or not, is not the point of this editorial. The point is to outline that more concrete solutions are needed to both stop traffickers and save lives, and that the EU as well as border countries seriously need to step up.
EU countries on the border could do more to rescue by allocating more resources, but serious EU action is required. Traffickers need to be put out of business, and people making the perilous sea journey must be saved. Alternatives to undertaking such a perilous journey are also needed. It was reported that several Mediterranean nations said the European Union’s border agency Frontex needs to work inside third countries to stop smugglers from endangering the lives of migrants. The countries had said that they would float the idea to EU leaders to set up asylum application centers in neighbouring countries from which successful applicants can safely reach Europe. Every idea helps.
Tackling irregular migration is not an easy task. It is a complex situation. Perhaps some LGBTIQ individuals are fleeing a country where they are persecuted. Some might be fleeing war. Such issues are not easily fixed from the outside.
If they have a right to asylum, then that right must be granted, no questions asked.
When it comes to economic migration, perhaps more could be done to boost the economies of the countries such irregular migrants are emigrating from. Just throwing money at the problem will unlikely be the solution, but perhaps by working more closely with those countries to grow their economies could yield results. Now there already is cooperation, but perhaps there could be more, or perhaps more ideas could be explored? Regardless that is not something a single country could tackle, but the EU as a whole could consider all possibilities..
But above all, Europe must do more to save lives.