"Still Pain and Shame" from Migrant Deaths at Sea Continues to Haunt
On Sunday, August 13, Pope Francis urged politicians to pay heed to the "open wound" of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, stating that he had prayed for the 41 individuals who lost their lives in a shipwreck earlier this month. The annual death toll of migrants at sea reaches several thousand people. Primarily, this is due to their lack of safe passage, and the authorities of the countries they depart from to reach EU nations hardly take practical steps to control illegal migration. Until June 2023, one could have criticized the EU countries for the fate of migrants, but the legislation enacted that month will significantly regulate the issue on the European shore and ensure the safety of migrants.
"With pain and shame, we must declare that almost 2,000 men, women, and children have died in this sea since the beginning of the year, attempting to reach Europe," Pope Francis stated after the Angelus prayer on August 13. The Pope also called for prayers for Ukraine and those affected by the forest fires in Maui, Hawaii. The death toll from these fires reached 93 on Saturday, making it the deadliest fire in the US in over a century.
According to the International Organization for Migration, over 22,000 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014. Representatives of a port on the Italian island of Sicily found a body on Sunday after a boat carrying 13 migrants capsized on August 12 near the neighboring island of Marettimo, reported the ANSA news agency. Another individual is also likely to have died.
«З болем і соромом ми повинні заявити, що з початку року вже майже 2000 чоловіків, жінок і дітей загинули в цьому морі, намагаючись дістатися до Європи», – сказав Франциск після щотижневої молитви «Ангел Господній» 13 серпня. Джерело: VaticanNews
Sea of Death
Migrants, embarking on dozens of fragile boats smuggled from Tunisia's shores, have disembarked on three tiny Italian islands over the course of two days, officials reported. Separately, a charity ship conducted 15 rescue operations, and the Italian Coast Guard recovered a body near the western coast of Sicily on Sunday after a shipwreck. Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has repeatedly urged Tunisia to put an end to the almost daily departures of several vessels from its ports. However, over the past 10 days, there have been multiple incidents involving boats capsizing, experiencing accidents, or facing other forms of misfortune. This year, tens of thousands of migrants have left North African coasts to attempt reaching Europe. Many of them never make it, losing their lives at sea.
Last week, a cargo ship rescued four survivors adrift in a smugglers' dinghy. The survivors recounted that 41 passengers did not survive when their boat catastrophically failed. It was this incident that Pope Francis mentioned during his Angelus prayer on August 13 in St. Peter's Square.
In total, as of August 11, migrants rescued from over 60 boats have been brought to the shores of the island of Lampedusa, including around 400 individuals on Sunday, August 13. These arrivals have increased the number of asylum seekers in the temporary migrant residence on the island to around 2,000 individuals, though the facility was designed to accommodate no more than about 450 people, according to Pierluigi De Ascentis from the Italian Red Cross, who manages the facility.
On August 13, a rescue boat operated by the humanitarian group Emergency was sailing to Naples with 76 migrants, whose ship departed from Libya on August 10. According to Emergency, the vessel capsized in international waters in the search and rescue zone of Malta. The rescued migrants are from Egypt, Syria, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, including seven women and 24 minors, with the youngest being 7 months old.
A few months ago, the government of Meloni, whose coalition partner is the "League" party against migrants, sought to limit the time charitable boats spend at sea during rescue missions. Proponents of these limitations argue that such alternating rescue boats essentially encourage smugglers to put vessels to sea in the hope that humanitarian groups will eventually ensure the safe arrival of passengers.
In total, the number of migrants who have reached Italy by sea this year is around 95,000, according to the Ministry of Interior. This figure is more than double the number of migrants who illegally arrived in Italy during the same period last year.
However, Italy is not the only country facing challenges with migrants' attempts to cross the sea.
Photo: Only one day. July 21, 2023. 184 Rescued in 4 Operations. Source: Emergency Italy
Channel Dangers
According to French authorities, an overcrowded boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel just before dawn on August 12th. This tragedy resulted in the loss of at least six lives, while more than 50 others were fortunately rescued. The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea reported that around 65 people were aboard the boat, and two individuals may still be in the water.
French officials have noted a noticeable increase in attempts to cross the coast since August 10th. The British government announced that on August 10th, 755 individuals crossed the Channel on small boats, marking the highest daily number this year.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak once campaigned with the slogan "Stop the Boats," aiming to unify and centralize his political platform. However, his efforts did not achieve the desired results.
A cornerstone of the policy to deter people from risking their lives at sea is legislation that involves the deportation of refugees who arrive illegally back to their home country or a safe third country.
Finding a Solution, but How?
The issue has grown to the extent that Poland's ruling party plans to ask voters in a referendum on October 15th whether they support the acceptance of "thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa" as part of the European Union's resettlement plan. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki made this announcement on August 13th in relation to the upcoming elections.
Poland's ruling "Law and Justice" party seems to be employing the migration topic in its election campaign strategy. This tactic proved successful for the party in gaining power in 2015.
While Poland has welcomed over a million Ukrainian refugees, primarily of Caucasian and Christian background, official statements have long indicated that Muslims and individuals from various cultures are considered a threat to the nation's cultural identity and security.
The European asylum system collapsed eight years ago when over a million people arrived, mostly fleeing conflict in Syria, overwhelming reception facilities in Greece and Italy and leading to one of the biggest political crises in the EU.