but also in the Aegean between Turkey and Greece . These deaths arise due to various conditions ; according to Human Rights Watch , “ Smugglers routinely overload unseaworthy boats ; provide insufficient food , water , and fuel for the journey ; and lock women , men and children below deck , putting their lives at grave risk in the event of a shipwreck ,” ( p . 6 ). Across the Aegean , migrants often use “ flimsy rubber dinghies or small wooden boats ,” ( BBC News ). As such , a number of significant tragedies have occurred on these waters , including the 2011 disaster when a Libyan dinghy ’ s distress signals were not responded with a rescue attempt ( leading to the slow starvation of 61 passengers ), the 2013 shipwreck off of Lampedusa in which over 360 people drowned , and the April 2015 capsizing of a boat with 800 people off of Libya , due to overcrowded conditions .
After the tragedy of Lampedusa , Italy responded by launching Mare Nostrum , an extensive rescue mission , saving over 150,000 lives in less than a year . However , by October 2014 , the operation had ended despite the continuation of tragedies at sea . This was due in part to the great costs associated with the operation – upwards of 9 million euros ($ 10.2m ) each month . In addition , many EU politicians criticized this rescue operation as creating a “ pull factor ” for people to attempt the crossing to the European continent , since it promised potential saving at sea . EU Frontex border control turned instead to Operation Triton which had a significantly smaller budget than Mare Nostrum and focused primarily on border protection . However , from 2014-2015 , the death toll in the Mediterranean increased almost tenfold , according to the IOM . In March 2015 , the Joint Operational Team MARE was launched , yet another European effort focused on intelligence aimed at fighting maritime people-smuggling instead of rescuing people in distress at sea . The European Union also decided to keep EU ships closer to shore in 2015 to discourage migrants , but to no avail . On 22 June 2015 , the EU launched EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia , aimed at countering migrant smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean .
According to an article by Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières ( MSF ), “ The measures put in place to stop the boats ignore the most basic point of the so-called ‘ migration crisis ’: people in need of protection have no choice but to flee .” Debate in Europe has centered around whether ‘ push ’ or ‘ pull ’ factors are more prevalent in drawing people to the continent ; however , “[ g ] iven the continuing arrivals by sea , regardless of weather or pushbacks , Europe is forced to accept that rescue at sea is not what is pulling people toward the continent ,” ( Pelton ). Many migrants are coming from war-torn countries , in desperate need of protection , and willing to gamble their lives on dangerous voyages in order to leave more dangerous situations in their countries of origin . As such , most refugees flee due to push factors . However , Europe ’ s response continues to focus on reducing pull factors rather than addressing the current need for ongoing rescue operations at sea as well as safe , legal options for refugees to
Table of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 8 of 58