The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have called for “urgent and decisive action” to be taken by the European Union to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean following the ship that sank off the coast of Greece on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
An estimated number between 400 and 750 people are believed to have been aboard the boat. To date, only 104 people have been rescued and 78 bodies retrieved. Hundreds are feared missing or dead.
Dimitris Chaliotis, a Hellenic Red Cross volunteer who was part of the rescue operations, disclosed that most of the people on the ship were from Libya and Syria.
According to the two UN agencies, the boat that sank was reported to have been in distress since Tuesday morning but a search and rescue operation by the Hellenic Coast Guard was only launched after the boat capsized on Wednesday morning.
In a joint statement, the IOM and UNHCR noted, “The duty to rescue people in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law.”
“Both shipmasters and States have an obligation to render assistance to those in distress at sea regardless of their nationality, status or the circumstances in which they are found, including on unseaworthy vessels, and irrespective of the intentions of those onboard.”
IOM & UNHCR
The UN agencies stated that they welcomed an investigation by Greece into the circumstances which led to the boat capsizing.
Meanwhile, on Friday, June 16, 2023, ten NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) noted in a statement that the European Union was “complicit in the loss of lives at sea.”
“Failures to engage in search and rescue that have now become the EU’s de facto migration management policy,” the statement read, adding that the first quarter of 2023 marked the deadliest in the central Mediterranean in six years.
“We urge the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, to finally take a clear stand on the open graveyard at Europe’s land and sea borders, and to hold Member States accountable,” the statement added.
Human rights groups claim that Europe’s close border policy plays into the hands of smugglers, as asylum-seekers are forced to pay thousands of dollars to undertake dangerous and illegal journeys.
EU’s Collective Effort Required
Moreover, the UNHCR stated that collective efforts and coordination by the EU to prevent a recurrence were now required, given the increased numbers of refugees and others taking to the Mediterranean Sea route.
“The EU must put safety and solidarity at the heart of its action in the Mediterranean,” Gillian Triggs, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for protection, said in the statement.
Federico Soda, Director of the IOM’s Department of Emergencies, opined that the current approach by states to the Mediterranean migration route was not working.
“Year after year, it continues to be the most dangerous migration route in the world, with the highest fatality rate. States need to come together and address the gaps in proactive search and rescue, quick disembarkation, and safe regular pathways.”
Federico Soda
Meanwhile, on Friday, June 16, 2023, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights made a separate call for action against people smugglers and human traffickers, and for more routes to be opened for safe migration in light of the Greece tragedy.
Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson, told reporters, “What happened on Wednesday underscores the need to investigate people smugglers and human traffickers and ensure they are brought to justice.”
