Malta – The Danish Refugee Council and the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat today launched its report on migration trends at The Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta called ‘Going West: contemporary mixed migration trends from the Horn of Africa to Libya & Europe’, in the presence of Somalis who sought refuge in Malta.
Melissa Phillips, Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat project manager said deterrent mechanisms do not work and therefore one has to turn his or her attention to effective mechanisms which protect migrants.
This research is based on data collected from a number of countries, including Malta, Ethiopia Tunisia and the UK, among others, and looks into migration routes, she said.
The routes are fast changing and dynamic, she added. The report also shows the long journeys individuals take to seek new pastures, including ones from Somalia which “places migrants in a vulnerable situation.
“We do not know how many migrants die in the Libyan desert, in transit countries or at sea. This report helps do justice for those who lost their lives.
“With tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers having reached Italy and Malta from North Africa during this year, and hundreds dying in perilous sea journeys across the Mediterranean, this study contributes to a growing body of evidence highlighting the importance of the westward route of mixed migration from the Horn of Africa to Libya and Europe.”
This report adds strong qualitative information on the modalities of movement, the political economy of the smuggling/trafficking activities between the Horn of Africa and Europe and the severe human rights deficits facing those on the move.
It also collates known academic, government level and research-based data while adding new information established in the course of this multi-country study – as such it is, as of summer 2014, the most up-to-date collation of known information concerning mixed migration along these routes.
She said that there is a worrying trend that a lot of pregnant women were embarking on perilous journeys.
Dr Katrine Camilleri, who is the Director of Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta) (JRS), said that the report sheds light on the journeys individuals take to seek new pastures but unless one looks at the underlying cause of why people are taking to the sea, then situation will continue.
“The underlying cause, she explained, is that they do not find protection,” she said.
She said that they not only feel unprotected in their country of origin but also keep moving in circles, from one country to the other, since they do not find adequate protection anywhere.
Somalis and Eritreans make up the bulk of migrants seeking protection in Malta, she noted.
The report confirms what we knew before, what we did see with our own eyes and what we hear from migrants who land in Malta, she said.
“The report highlights that migrants’ fortunes are shaped through happenings which are beyond their control,” she added.
Marie Groth Kruse, Danish Refugee Council programme officer of mixed migration said that she is based in Libya but they have been evacuated due to the current situation.
“It is no secret that it near to impossible to get access to refuges seeking asylum in Libya. We are looking to go back as soon as possible and everyone is hoping for a return to civilisation in Libya so that everyone can go back to work,” she said.
“It is a pity we cannot help Syrians on the ground and therefore are burdened with having to risk their lives when crossing the Mediterranean sea in a bid to get away from the situation in Syria,” she highlighted.
The report was co-funded by the European Commission and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO UK). The event was co-organised with the Jesuit Refugee Service Malta, who recently also published their own report ‘Beyond Imagination’ which focuses specifically on asylum seekers from Eastern Africa, through interviews done with Eritrean and Somali asylum seekers who passed through Libya on their way to Malta.
Source: Malta Independent
