A tragedy occurred in the Mediterranean this week.

Four people, including two small children, died during a migration voyage.

"Following a mayday alert by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, the nonprofit group RESQSHIP said its vessel NADIR found 62 people adrift in international waters under Malta's search and rescue jurisdiction. The migrants, who included nationals of Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria, had departed western Libya three days earlier on a fragile rubber boat that suffered an engine failure. By the time the NADIR reached them, two children aged 3 and 4 were dead and a third person was found unconscious and died, the humanitarian group said. Survivors also reported that a fourth person had drowned during the journey," the Associated Press reports.

An Italian coast guard vessel arrived four hours later and evacuated six people in critical condition, including two babies and their mothers, as their boat was already full with other rescued migrants, it reports. The rest of the survivors, many suffering from skin burns caused by the harmful mixture of sea water and fuel, were taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

People risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean in very often unsafe boats in an attempt to reach Europe. They do so for reasons stemming from fleeing war, fear for ones safety or life, or out of desperation to build a better life. The fact that people undertake this treacherous journey shows just how bad things must be back home.

There are those in Europe who, when seeing the words irregular migration, instantly harden their hearts. But we are talking about people, not just numbers. It is easy to forget that when using the term irregular migrants. Each and every person has a story. They are human beings, just like each and every one of us. Regardless of whether they are entitled to protection or not, they must be treated with dignity and looked upon with respect.

The deaths in the incident this week are not a singular event. According to the UNHCR, in 2024 there were 3,530 dead or missing, although this might also include those trying to reach the Canary Islands and those who died or went missing overland, but it is not clear. It does, however, bring up the question as to whether Europe should be doing more to prevent loss of life at sea, perhaps through increased monitoring or patrols for rescues. EU countries should also work together and intensify efforts to capture and stop human traffickers from operating.

Another consideration should be the improvement of legal pathways for asylum seekers to reach Europe. Such pathways could help in minimising the number of asylum seekers who risk the dangerous sea crossing.

After a rescue takes place, the authorities decide whether or not a person who arrived irregularly qualifies for asylum or some form of protection. When it comes to those who do not qualify, who generally try to reach Europe for economic reasons, then return to their home is a must. Illegal entry is, after all, a security concern, and there are legal ways to enter for economic reasons. But regardless they must be treated with respect and with dignity at all times. There is something also to be said that richer nations should be doing more to support poorer nations in improving the situation on the ground for their people.

As for people who qualify for asylum or some other form of protection, they must be protected and granted asylum, they cannot be returned home.

There is also a need to consider granting certain rights to those who have lived in a country for years and years. There have been instances where people who have built their lives in Malta, were deported many years later. This just doesn't sit right.