Urgent action after more tragedy in Mediterranean

Migrant arriving in Lampedusa. Credit: Caritas Italiana 2014

Migrant arriving in Lampedusa. Credit: Caritas Italiana 2014

“I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated,” said Pope Francis.

The pope’s words on Sunday follow yet another tragedy in which a boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea sank at the weekend. At least 700 people may be dead.

“They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of war. They were looking for a better life”.

The day before on Saturday, Pope Francis had added his voice to those calling on the European Union to do more to help the mounting numbers of people rescued in the Mediterranean from unsafe smugglers’ boats.

“When Pope Francis condemned the globalisation of indifference during his visit to Lampedusa in 2013, politicians joined in condemning the tragedy. We still seem to be far away from any effective protection of people seeking a better life elsewhere”, said Michel Roy, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis.

Caritas calls for:

  • open legal and safe channels of migration to ensure that people migrate without risking their lives,
    sharing the reception and protection across Europe,
  • reinvigorating its search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean,
  • increasing investment in the development of people in their home countries so migration is an option not a necessitity.

Caritas Italy’s director Don Francesco Soddu said, “The idea of an impregnable Europe is no longer sustainable under the blows of a humanity desperate to flee their countries.”

Don Soddu, in Tunisia to prepare for the ‘MigraMed’ conference of Caritas Mediterranean organisations tackling migration, says the EU needs a humanitarian corridor for the migrants.

“The European Union identifies itself as a protector of human rights while promoting policies to protect its borders which puts at risk people’s lives and infringes their rights and dignity,” he said.

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Caritas Europa says lack of opportunities at home and the European Union approach to migration, which focused on security and border controls, makes people decide that it is worth engage with traffickers at the risk of their life.

Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Europa have written an open letter to the European Council calling for European search and rescue operation to be a priority. It says a war against smugglers or fingerprinting of all migrants will not save lives, neither are they addressing what the EU must fix: to open safe, legal channels for those seeking protection when fleeing war and persecution and legal channels for labour migration.

The Italian navy-run “Mare Nostrum” search-and-rescue operation in the Mediterranean ended last November. It was replaced by “Triton”, co-ordinated by the EU Frontex border agency.

Since its start in November 2014, Triton has saved some 7,000 people. Mare Nostrum saved over 140,000 in 12 months. All in all, over 1500 people have died in the Mediterranean this year, 50 times more than at the same point in 2014. (by April 2015).

Caritas Italy said that the current policies are no longer sufficient to deal with to match the urgency of the situation. “In the short term, it’s hard to think beyond ensuring those who do manage to arrive on our shores have a decent reception and receive our protection,” said Don Soddu.

Caritas diocesan offices in Italy provides places for 6000 people in its reception centres.Caritas Italy staff are providing warm clothes and blankets and in the longer term is providing aid and assistance in terms of accommodation, food, language courses and work with host communities.

Caritas calls for open legal and safe channels of migration to ensure that people migrate without risking their lives.

For more information, please contact Michelle Hough on +39 06 69879721 / +39 334 2344136 or hough@caritas.va.

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