Words of Concern, Walls of Deterrence: Refugees Pushed Out to Sea

The numbers of grossly overloaded vessels of all types, carrying desperate migrants from Syria and other conflict zones, are on the rise. More than 20,000 have died in recent years, and more than 200,000 took the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean in 2014 alone. Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, has announced it will launch search-and-rescue operations in the sea. “The decision has been taken because the humanitarian crisis on the Mediterranean is worsening every year, but the European Union shows no willingness to change the very policies that have led to this crisis,” writes Aurélie Ponthieu, MSF humanitarian adviser. “Saving lives is our core business, whether it is on land or at sea.” She points out that some families have lived in refugee camps for a decade or more. The Syrian conflict alone has produced near 4 million refugees, but European nations have agreed to admit only a few thousand each. Ponthieu rejects EU policies of tightening land and sea borders, focusing on the smuggling rather than the security of refugees. – YaleGlobal