Q Code Magazine

“Thousands of people continued to try to reach Europe in search of international protection and family reunification in the first seven months of 2018, along with many others traveling to Europe for different reasons including economic and educational opportunities. Between January and July, the number of refugees and migrants entering Europe via Greece, Italy and Spain dropped by 41% compared to last year.

New measures targeting irregular migration in the central Mediterranean, including further support for Libyan authorities to prevent sea crossings to Europe, further restrictions on the work of NGOs involved in search and rescue operations, and limited access to Italian ports for refugees and migrants rescued at sea since June, led to fewer arrivals in Italy, but a far higher death rate.

Support for the Libyan Coast Guard to build its capacity, including the establishment of a Libyan search and rescue region, has also resulted in increased numbers of people, including those in need of international protection, intercepted or rescued at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and returned to Libya. Once in Libya, they are detained with no possibility of release by UNHCR except for the purpose of evacuation to a third country. As of the end of August, commercial and NGO vessels conducting rescues in the central Mediterranean Sea continue to face uncertainty over the designation of a safe port for disembarkation in the absence of a collaborative and predictable approach to Mediterranean Sea crossings.
Along land routes including in Europe, more deaths are taking place this year with 74 deaths recorded in the first seven months of 2018 compared to 42 in the same period last year. These deaths occur as refugees and migrants continue to resort to very risky means to cross borders.”

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