Fatal Journeys Tracking Lives Lost During Migration
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IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. The opinions expressed in the book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the book do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 717 91 11 Fax: + 41 22 798 61 50 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.iom.int ISBN 978-92-9068-698-9 © 2014 International Organization for Migration (IOM) Cover Photo: Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from Lampedusa’s coastline stands Porta di Lampedusa - Porta d’Europa. Created by artist Mimmo Paladino in 2008, this monument is dedicated to those migrants who have died in search of a new life. Photo by Paolo Todeschini, 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 58_14 Fatal Journeys Tracking Lives Lost during Migration Edited by Tara Brian and Frank Laczko International Organization for Migration (IOM) Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost during Migration Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ 7 List of Tables and Figures ..................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1 Counting Migrant Deaths: An International Overview .....................15 Tara Brian and Frank Laczko 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 15 1.2 International policy context and geography of deaths ............................. 16 1.3 How many have died? Statistics on migrant border-related fatalities ......18 1.4 Challenges of collecting data on migrant deaths ...................................... 29 1.5 Who collects the data? .............................................................................. 32 1.6 Keeping count: Why we need better data ................................................. 34 1.7 Way forward: Better monitoring, data collection and analysis .................36 1.8 Outline and chapter overviews ................................................................. 39 Bibliography ....................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 2 Migrant Deaths in the Americas (United States and Mexico) ..........45 Robin Reineke and Daniel E. Martínez 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 45 2.2 Historical and geographical overview ....................................................... 47 2.3 Estimated number of migrant fatalities..................................................... 53 2.4 Record keeping and limitations to existing counts .................................... 70 2.5 Conclusion and recommendations ............................................................ 73 Bibliography ....................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 3 Tracking Deaths in the Mediterranean ............................................. 85 Tamara Last and Thomas Spijkerboer 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 85 3.2 Brief historical and geographical overview ............................................... 86 3.3 Risks associated with unauthorized travel ................................................ 90 3.4 How many die? Existing data and its quality ............................................. 92 3.5 Methods and sources for a more accurate and comprehensive count ....97 3.6 Conclusions and recommendations ........................................................ 101 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 104 Migrant Experiences: Crossing the Mediterranean ......................................... 107 3 Table of Contents Chapter 4 From Sub-Saharan Africa through North Africa: Tracking Deaths along the Way ......................................................109 Christopher Horwood with contributions from Arezo Malakooti/ Altai Consulting 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 109 4.2 Brief historical and geographical background: The migration context ....110 4.3 Calculating deaths .................................................................................. 119 4.4 Conclusions: Methodological challenges and information gaps .............132 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 133 Migrant Experiences: Death in the desert ....................................................... 137 Chapter 5 Deaths en Route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and along the Eastern Corridor from the Horn of Africa to South Africa ............................................................................... 139 Christopher Horwood 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 139 5.2 Brief historical and geographical background: The migration context ............................................................................. 140 5.3 Calculating deaths ................................................................................... 147 5.4 Methodological challenges and information gaps .................................. 167 5.5 Conclusions and recommendations ........................................................ 168 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 170 Migrant Experiences: Journey of hope ............................................................ 174 Chapter 6 Counting and Accounting for Deaths of Asylum-seekers en Route to Australia ..................................................................... 177 Leanne Weber and Sharon Pickering 6.1 Importance of counting migrant deaths ................................................. 177 6.2 Illegalized journeys to Australia by boat ................................................. 178 6.3 Data sources and information gaps ......................................................... 182 6.4 What we know and do not know about deaths en route to Australia ....186 6.5 A chronology of counting ........................................................................ 191 6.6 Improving data and saving lives .............................................................. 195 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 199 Migrant Experiences: A sinking ship ................................................................ 204 Annex .............................................................................................................. 207 4 Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost during Migration Foreword For many of the 232 million people around the world who live outside their country of birth today, migration means the opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families. Yet, for many others, the search for such an opportunity comes at an extremely high cost, as they face unimaginable and often fatal dangers along their journeys. Some are ready to spend their lifetime savings or take on massive debts and risk their lives and the lives of their families for a new start. Death is a risk worth taking in desperate situations of violence, persecution, famine or even absence of prospects of a decent life. One year ago, the world watched in horror when some 360 migrants lost their lives in the attempt to swim to the shores of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Regrettably, the horror seems endless: up to 500 migrants met their death at sea off Malta just a few weeks before this report was published. Two survivors reported that smugglers deliberately rammed and sunk their ship when migrants refused to board a less seaworthy vessel, after having been forced to switch boats at sea many times on their journey from Egypt. Two weeks after the incident, there were only 11 identified survivors; witnesses reported that as many as 100 children were on board. These tragedies in the Mediterranean are but two examples of the many migrant tragedies unfolding all over the world. Hundreds perish every year on the journey from Central America to the United States through Mexico, under the desert sun or robbed and beaten along