arrive in Europe that would reduce the number of dangerous boat crossings and subsequent tragic maritime deaths .
In the wake of Europe ’ s struggle to respond to the refugee crisis on the seas , one NGO has taken it into its own hands to fill the gap . An American / Italian couple in 2013 founded the Migrant Offshore Aid Station ( MOAS ); after witnessing evidence of drowned migrants during a cruise in the Mediterranean , the couple used their own money to purchase a fishing vessel and convert it into a rescue vessel with unmanned drones for spotting vessels in distress , with the motto “ No One Deserves To Die At Sea .” These drones either alert the main MOAS ship to respond , or the Italian Coast Guard is called , providing an opportunity for many lives to be saved amid the dangerous crossing . The MOAS operation has grown as donations poured in from people across the world , especially after the media reproduction in September 2015 of the image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi who washed up dead on the Turkish coast . The efforts of MOAS have additionally inspired other NGOs such as MSF to also launch search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea . Even if the European Union still struggles to respond to the refugee crisis , those attempting the dangerous voyage have not been entirely forgotten .
Recommendation . Human Rights Watch Recommendations include ( p . 2 ): “ Specifically the EU and member states should :
• Save lives at sea through sustained search and rescue operations along the main migration routes in the Mediterranean .
• Ensure that passengers on all vessels interdicted at sea that are suspected of being used for human trafficking or smuggling are disembarked at a safe location in EU territory . Vessels should not be diverted or returned to a place where passengers might be exposed to the risk of persecution , torture , or inhuman and degrading treatment , to the risk of harm from indiscriminate violence , or to the risk of chain refoulement .
• Ensure that action against smugglers and traffickers who endanger lives respects human rights , guarantees the ability of asylum seekers to seek international protection in other countries , and does not itself put passengers ’ lives in danger .
• Ensure that EU anti-smuggling efforts in the Mediterranean do not leave asylum seekers in Libya with no access to protection .
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