TRAVERSEES CLANDESTINES : RAPPORT DU HCR

Description

The events unfolding in Syria, Iraq,
the Central African Republic, South
Sudan and elsewhere, are reminders
that the need for international
protection of refugees is as urgent as
ever. With few opportunities to enter
Europe by regular means, thousands
of people threatened by persecution
and serious human rights violations
in their home countries are taking
dangerous sea routes.
The ever increasing death toll in
the Mediterranean Sea and the
increasing number of refugees and
migrants risking their lives in rickety
boats are a wake up call for joint
European action, based on solidarity,
burden-sharing and protection
to those fleeing persecution and
violence.

Informations

• Publié par: Fil_actu
• Publié le: 31 décembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 62
• Langue: English

Extrait

CENTRAL
MEDITERRANEAN
SO CLOSESEA INITIATIVE
YET SO FAR FROM SAFETY
The events unfolding in Syria, Iraq,
the Central African Republic, South
Sudan and elsewhere, are reminders
that the need for international
protection of refugees is as urgent as
ever. With few opportunities to enter
Europe by regular means, thousands
of people threatened by persecution
and serious human rights violations
in their home countries are taking
dangerous sea routes.
The ever increasing death toll in
the Mediterranean Sea and the
200.000 increasing number of refugees and
migrants risking their lives in rickety
boats are a wake up call for joint
70.000
European action, based on solidarity,
59.000 60.000 burden-sharing and protection
to those feeing persecution and 26.300
violence.22.500
9.700
Updated December 2014
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
© UNHCR / A. D’Amato
Total arrivals in the
Mediterranean Sea STEPS WITHIN THE EU STEPS IN COLLABORATION CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN
WITH COUNTRIES OF TRANSIT
SEA INITIATIVE (CMSI): 1. Str engthen rescue at sea. Ensure that the AND FIRST ASYLUM
long-established tradition of rescue at sea URGENT AND COLLECTIVE
is upheld, maintaining strong capacity for 8. Reinfor ce the gathering, analysis and
search and rescue operations in the Medi-ACTION NEEDED sharing of data on movement by sea in the
terranean including with the support of the Mediterranean. TO SAVE LIVES European Union (EU) and its Member States.
9. Furt her develop capacity and institution
2. Encourage commer cial shipmasters to building in countries of transit and frst
undertake rescue where required. Steps The dramatic situation at asylum, including protection strategies.
must be taken to minimize fnancial and Europe’s sea borders demands
10. Incr ease mass information programmes along other costs for those engaged in such urgent and concerted action,
transit routes aimed at informing people of operations.with the overall objective of saving lives, CMSI
the risks of onward movement. Engage in includes
3. Establ ish more effective and predictable a dialogue with community-based diaspora 12 concrete steps identifcation of places of disembarkation. organizations.
with this aim.
4. Enhance r eception facilities, and establish 11. Incr ease legal alternatives to irregular
additional facilities with access to urgent dangerous movements. These could include
care and assistance, with particular attention increasing resettlement quotas and access to
to those with specifc needs. humanitarian visas. States can also facilitate
family reunifcation, use private sponsorship
5. Establ ish profling and referral mechanisms,
schemes, and student and employment visa
including access to fair and effcient asylum
programmes.
procedures for those in need of international
protection.
STEPS IN COLLABORATION
WITH COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN6. Ensur e access to durable solutions for
persons found to be in need of international
12. Cont inue to support relief and development protection.
programmes to address humanitarian, human
7. Pr ovide support for the timely return in rights and development needs.
safety and dignity of those found not to be
in need of international protection.
“ Europe’s response needs to be a truly collective effort, one that offers safer ways
to fnd protection while maintaining a strong capacity to rescue people at sea.
If it fails, many more lives will be lost at Europe’s doorstep.”
António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
© M. Sestini for the Italian NavyMore refugees and migrants are arriving and SURVIVAL AND
DYING AT EUROPE’S DOORSTEPS… LOSS: A YOUNG
SYRIAN WOMAN’S
DEADLY VOYAGE So far in 2014, over 200,000 refugees
and migrants have arrived by sea in the TO EUROPE
Mediterranean, compared to 60,000 in 2013.
John Psaropoulos in Athens,
Greece contributed to this story
Italy has received over 160,000 arrivals
in 2014, at the astonishing pace of 14,700
arrivals per month or over 480 arrivals each
day, most of them rescued by Italy under the
operation Mare Nostrum, which is ending.
Nineteen-year-old Doa al Zamel fed her home in Syria in the hope of fnding safety and a better future;
In 2014 around 40,000 people arrived by sea she ended up desperately fghting for her life in the Mediterranean Sea and losing her fancé. She still
in Greece, almost a 300% increase compared relives the trauma of September 10, when an unidentifed vessel rammed into the smuggler’s trawler
to 2013. that was carrying Doa and more than 500 other people, including many women and children. The vessel
quickly sank off the East coast of Malta; there were just 11 survivors.
UNHCR estimates that around 3,400
Four days after the trawler set sail, it was stopped by another boat. “The people on it asked us to stop. people have died or have gone missing at
They threw pieces of metal and wood at us and swore at our captain,” recalled Doa. “Our boat refused sea so far in 2014, around 2,800 since the
to stop and they circled us and rammed us. They waited until we had sunk and they left.”beginning of July.
The trawler sank in minutes. “Some people grabbed ropes hanging from the ship’s masts to save
Almost half of the people arriving in 2014 are
themselves. Some were cut to pieces by the propeller when they fell into the water. Most drowned,”
from Syria and Eritrea.
Doa said.
The number of Eritreans and Syrians Doa found herself in the water with some 100 survivors. She grabbed an infatable ring and looked
arriving by sea so far this year in Italy alone around for her fancé. She realized that he must have gone down with the boat. For three days, the sur -
has increased by almost 280% and 240%, vivors foated in the Mediterranean without food or drinking water and gradually they started to die.
compared to the same period in 2013.
People began to ask Doa to take care of their children. A man with his one-year-old granddaughter
handed over the child. “Then a mother came with an 18-month-old baby girl and a six-year-old boy and An increasing number of women, children
asked me to take care of the baby and I kept it too. I watched the grandfather and the mother and her and elderly embark on these journeys.
son die.”
So far in 2014, over 23,800 children have Doa said the goal of saving the two babies increased her determination to survive. She was rescued by a
arrived to Malta and Italy by sea, including at Liberian-fagged vessel: “The one-year-old baby died just as we were about to be picked up” and taken
least 12,000 unaccompanied. to Crete island. The other child rallied and recovered.
Data as of November 2014
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR FROM SAFETY
© UNHCR / L. KolokythasWHERE FORCED DISPLACEMENT legal and safe alternatives and often rely on
smugglers, making themselves even more ARE PEOPLE AT THE CENTRE OF SEA
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, sometimes
detained for long periods of time. In this context, COMING FROM? ARRIVALS
women and children are at greater risk.
People who crossed the The majority of those rescue at sea and
Mediterranean in 2014 came from arriving in Europe are feeing war, violence
more than 40 countries around and persecution, including many women and
Syrians
31% 60,051 the world on three different children. The link between the rise in forced THE DEPARTURE POINT:
continents. In the last two years, displacement to over 51 million people and FORCING MORE PEOPLE
almost half of the arrivals in the the increased number of people attempting to
Mediterranean were people fnd safety in Europe is undeniable. In addition, TO FLEE
coming from Syria and Eritrea. In the deterioration of the situation in countries
addition, people from Somalia where refugees were residing is contributing Most of the people arriving in Europe are
and Iraq are also arriving by sea in to force more people to move onwards. More departing from Libya. In 2013, out of 43,000
search of safety. people have been resorting to crossing the arrivals in Italy, more than 27,000 departed from Eritreans
Mediterranean Sea due to more restrictive Libya. This trend has increased in 2014. The 18% 34,561
From January to October 2014, border control measures, which makes it more deterioration of the situation in Libya is also
more than 60,000 Syrians, diffcult for those needing protection to access forcing more people to take the risk of traveling
including almost 10,000 children, the EU by land to seek asylum. Many refugees in unsafe vessels in the hands of criminal
arrived by sea. In the same period and asylum-seekers fnd themselves without organizations.
almost 35,000 Eritreans arrived
by sea in the Mediterranean,
Others
including 3,380 unaccompanied 16% 31,055
children. The rest of the
nationalities include people from
a number of African countries,
Sub-Saharans Afghanistan, and an increasing
10% 20,549 number of Palestinians feeing
Syria and most recently from Gaza.Afghans
5% 10,201
A Syrian mother sits on a deck Malians
5% 8,928 of the Italian vessel, Verga,
with her young children. They
4% Nigerians 8,928 were rescu