2 . LESSONS
Observation .
A . TOPIC . Refugee Search & Rescue Operations Assisted by Independent Agencies in the Mediterranean Sea ( 2463 )
Thousands of people are dying in dangerous migration routes across the Mediterranean Sea in the wake of Europe ’ s 2015 refugee crisis . While the European Union remains in political discussion about reducing ‘ pull ’ factors towards the continent , building fences , and focusing on border control over rescue operations , people continue to die at sea . One NGO , the Migrant Offshore Aid Station , has stepped in to fill the gap in Europe ’ s maritime response .
Discussion .
With the current turmoil in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East , a flood of refugees is pouring into Europe , seeking refuge or asylum . The majority of these asylum-seekers are from countries with violent conflict such as Syria , Iraq , and Afghanistan , while others flee from abuse and poverty in Kosovo , Albania , Pakistan , Eritrea , Nigeria , Iran , and Ukraine . These refugees are taking routes by land and sea to arrive in Europe , most attempting the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean from Northern Africa to Italy or from Turkey to Greece . In 2015 , International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) estimates indicate that over 1,011,700 migrants journeyed to Europe by sea ( 34,900 by land ).
The high influx of migrants , refugees , and asylum-seekers attempting to reach Europe by sea comes as Europe ’ s land borders are being closed . According to a November 2015 report by Amnesty International , EU member states have already built over 235 km of fences on the EU ’ s external border ( costing over 175 million Euros ), including 175 km along the Hungary-Serbia border , 30 km along Bulgaria-Turkey border , 18.7 km along Spanish enclaves , and 10.5 km along Greece-Turkey border ; however , “ Instead of stopping people from coming , these fences have only redirected refugee flows to other land routes or more dangerous sea routes .” Vice News recounts how after Greece fenced its border with Turkey in 2012 , migration routes shifts to Bulgaria ; after a 21-mile fence was completed along the Bulgaria-Turkey border in July 2014 , refugees then began to take the passage from Turkey into Greece across the Aegean Sea , swiftly increasing the number crossing to Europe by sea .
This high number of migrants on sea voyages has been accompanied by excessive death tolls from the crossings . BBC News reports that , “ According to the IOM , more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015 ,” primarily on the passage from northern African to Italy ,
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