The landing in Valencia, as a symbol of a migration and reception policy that respects international law and is more humane, was only a mirage
On June 17, 2018, hundreds of accredited media outlets in the port of Valencia reported live the disembarkation of the 630 people rescued a week earlier in the central Mediterranean, after leaving the hell of Libya. Italy and Malta had refused a safe harbor for the Aquarius, the search and rescue ship of Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranean. Given the refusal of these governments to comply with international law, Pedro Sánchez’s director offered to disembark in Valencia and so, after days of unnecessary crossing, the 630 people finally set foot on solid ground.
The landing of the Aquarius was the new Spanish government’s first major gesture on migration issues, and for a while it seemed that it could foster a paradigm shift in migration and reception issues in Europe, which would change the policy of closed ports in Italy and Malta. and the criminalization of migrants and the organizations that help them. The facts were not long in coming and put an end to hopes for a change of course. The Aquarius as a symbol of a migration and reception policy that respects international law and is more humane was only a mirage.
Unfortunately, the current situation in the Central Mediterranean is not new. On the one hand, the people who decide to leave their homes, in many cases forced by violent situations and who, after witnessing all kinds of widely documented atrocities in Libya, board precarious, overcrowded boats to navigate the world’s deadliest migratory route . Since 2014, at least 24,000 people have officially drowned or disappeared. The actual number will be much higher. On the other hand, the strength of Europe and the decision of its Member States to turn their backs on international law: not to help people in danger at sea and not to designate a safe harbor as quickly as possible. A few weeks ago, we watched in horror as the Maltese authorities did nothing when nearly 100 lives were at stake in the waters under their responsibility for search and rescue, ignoring their legal obligation to provide or coordinate aid. Unfortunately, it is no exception.
Instead of creating safe, voluntary and legal alternatives to crossing the central Mediterranean, Europe has simply decided to turn a blind eye and allow people to drown in the sea. Firstly, by withdrawing search and rescue mechanisms and financing the detention and return system of the Libyan authorities, a key player in the system of exploitation of migrants. In 2021 alone, at least 32,000 people were intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to Libya, where they were tortured and extorted in clandestine detention centers. Last November, the UN fact-finding mission in Libya determined that these violations constituted crimes against humanity. Even without coordinated rescue operations, thousands of people continue to flee Libya, confirming that there is not a pull effect, but rather a flight effect.
Second, not letting us disembark easily and quickly. The closed port policy forced the Aquarius to divert to Spain and strand other ships off the European coast for days. Italy does not announce today with much fanfare that it will not let us disembark, but we wait for days, begging for a port as if it were a favor and not an obligation of any coastal state that adheres to the international conventions of the sea. In the final revolution of our ship, the Geo Barentsz, we had to wait seven days for the disembarkation of the 471 rescued people to be completed. On the sixth day, several desperate people jumped into the sea to try to reach land under their own power.
We have been saying for years that, if it wants to, Europe has the capacity to respond appropriately to this situation and that, in accordance with its founding values, it cannot remain unmoved in the face of so much human suffering, let alone promote and sponsor the. The facts proved us right. Faced with the horrific war in Ukraine, which has forced more than six million people to flee their homes in search of safety, the European Union has introduced a temporary protection directive to host IDPs. Finally, the EU reacts quickly and forcefully to a drama ahead and we celebrate it. But the same guideline is not applied to people fleeing the same situations of war and persecution, from contexts such as Yemen, Syria, Mali or Congo, and trying to cross the central Mediterranean. We cannot allow different standards of refugee rights.
It is incomprehensible that after all these years of deadly migration transitions in the Central Mediterranean, private organizations like us are taking on the greatest burden of saving lives at sea. The recent capacity that the EU has shown to activate mechanisms to support millions of Ukrainians shows that there is also another way to lead what is happening on the southern border. A change of course in European migration policy is essential.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
