Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots Prepared by Altai Consulting for IOM MENA Regional Office, June 2015 This report was prepared, researched, and written by Arezo Malakooti (Project Director), under the supervision of Eric Davin (Altai Partner). All field research was managed and conducted by Arezo Malakooti, with the exception of fieldwork with migrants in Libya, which was carried out by Altai’s local partner, Istishari Consulting. Assistance was also provided by Tahar Benattia, Marie-Cecile Darme, Souad Chatar and Matthew Burnard (all from Altai Consulting). We gratefully acknowledge IOM’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Office (Cairo) for its role in designing and framing this study, as well IOM country offices in Egypt, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia for their valuable input and assistance. UNHCR offices in all of the above-mentioned countries are also gratefully acknowledged for their time and expertise. We are also indebted to the numerous migrants, government representatives, humanitarians/aid workers, academic researchers and community members who shared their views on the various themes that this study covers. The image on the front cover of this report was graciously provided by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS.eu)/ Darrin Zammit Lupi. Layout and graphic design by Marie-Cecile Darme. Altai Consulting provides strategy consulting and research services to private companies, governments and public institutions. Altai teams operate in more than 25 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Since its inception 12 years ago, Altai Consulting has developed a strong focus on migration and labour market related research and program evaluations. Contact Details: Arezo Malakooti (Director of Migration Research): [email protected] Eric Davin (Partner): [email protected] www.altaiconsulting.com This publication was produced by Altai Consulting for review by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Opinions expressed in the report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IOM. Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots 5 Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AVR Assisted voluntary return AVRR Assisted voluntary return and reintegration AWAS The Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (Malta) CAR Centros de Acogida de Refugiados (Refugee Reception Centres, Spain) CETI Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes (Temporary Centre for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers, Spain) CNDH National Council for Human Rights, Morocco CSO Civil Society Organisation DCIM The Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (Libya) DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo ECOWAS The Economic Community Of West African States EU European Union GFC Global financial crisis ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDI In-depth interview IOM International Organization for Migration ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham KII Key informant interview LGBTI Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex MENA Middle East and North Africa MoI Ministry of Interior MSF Médecins Sans Frontières NGO Non-governmental organisation OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights RSD Refugee status determination RMMS Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat START Stabilizing at-risk communities and enhancing migration management to enable smooth transitions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya (IOM Project) UAM Unaccompanied minor UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime USCIS United States Citizenship and Immigration Services VOT Victim of trafficking Please note: for the purposes of this report, and because the flows being studied are mixed flows, the word migrant is used broadly to refer to all people on the move along the routes studied, including economic migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and involuntary migrants (victims of trafficking, kidnapping and misinformation), unless a distinction is otherwise made. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1 Definitions 3 Executive Summary 5 I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 11 II. METHODOLOGY 15 III. THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE 19 1. Profiles and Push and Pull Factors 20 1.1 Profiles 20 1.2 Push and Pull Factors 26 2. Main Routes of Travel and the Conditions of the Journey 35 2.1 Routes to Morocco 35 2.2 Routes Within Morocco 37 2.3 Routes Across the Mediterranean 39 2.4 The Dynamics of Migrant Smuggling 42 2.5 Trafficking 43 3. Main Programs and Actors 45 3.1 Policies, Programs and Frameworks at the National Level in Spain 45 3.2 Policies, Programs and Frameworks at the National Level in Morocco 51 IV. THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE 57 1. Profiles and Push and Pull Factors 58 1.1 Recent Trends 58 1.2 Push and Pull Factors 81 2. Main Routes of Travel and the Conditions of the Journey 84 2.1 Routes to North Africa 84 2.2 Routes from North Africa to Europe 86 2.3 The Dynamics of Migrant Smuggling in 2014 90 2.4 Kidnapping and Trafficking 92 3. Main Programs and Actors 94 3.1 Egypt 94 3.2 Libya 95 3.3 Tunisia 97 3.4 Italy 98 3.5 Malta 99 V. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND CROSS ANALYSIS c 101 1. Syrian Refugees and Mediterranean Routes c 102 2. Decision-making Factors When Selecting Between the Routes c 104 3. Cross Analysis: Key Take-aways c 107 4. Across the Crossing Points: Towards Better Migration Management c 112 5. A Model for the Ongoing Monitoring of the Flow c 120 VI. ANNEXES c 124 1. Annex 1: List of Figures c 125 2. Annex 2: List of Literature Reviewed c 128 3. Annex 3: List of Key Informants Interviewed c 129 FOREWORD Once, “Mare Nostrum” used to express the Roman conception of the Mediterranean as a common economic, cultural and political space. After a checkered history of imperialist ambitions, the phrase was most recently reinvented as the name of the Italian maritime rescue operation put in place after a shipwreck on 3 October 2013 had led to the death of 366 migrants, until its suspension in late 2014. From “our sea”, the Mediterranean has become a firm and fatal dividing line between “North” and “South”. According to research by the International Organization for Migration (IOM),1 since the year 2000 close to 25,000 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean, making it the world’s deadliest border. At least 3,300 migrants died in the Mediterranean in 2014 – that is 9 individuals every day. In the first five months of 2015, the sea had already claimed more than 1,800 lives. At the same time, close to 80,000 migrants have arrived in Italy, Greece, Spain and Malta between January and May of this year. The focus on the boats in the Mediterranean, while justified and understandable, is partial: migration across the Mediterranean is a reflection of a much broader set of historical, economic, social and demographic dynamics, but also of structural failures in development, peace and security, and last but not least our migration systems. Humanitarian responses are crucial but will not stop the deaths. With a focus on the western and the central Mediterranean route, this report is based on unique and in-depth qualitative research conducted in countries of the southern and northern shores of the Mediterranean. It takes a closer look at the triggers, patterns, and push and pull factors shaping these migration trends: who are the men and women, and increasingly children, who make the journey from their home countries across vast expanses of desert and eventually across the sea? What compels them, what are their aspirations? Who harms them and who helps them along them way? What are the routes travelled and what determines the stages of a journey? IOM works with migrants every day, witnessing the inhumanity and desperation that too often characterizes migration, but also migrants’ sheer grit and determination. From East to West Africa, throughout the Sahel and across North Africa, on the northern shores of the Mediterranean and beyond, IOM bears witness to the causes and consequences of migration. IOM programmes – ranging from technical, operational, legal and policy support to governments to direct assistance and protection of migrants – try and alleviate some of the worst manifestations of migration, while bringing out its benefits for migrants and societies. I would like to thank Altai Consulting for their professionalism and commitment to the issue in producing this study on IOM’s behalf; and to my IOM colleagues for facilitating and supporting the research. My thanks also go to our governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental partners alongside whom we work every day and who have made important contributions to the research. In particular, I would like to highlight the valuable inputs by staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in numerous countries where research was carried out. 1. IOM (2014) “Fatal Journeys – Tracking Lives lost during Migration” and http://missingmigrants.iom.int/ 1 Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots It is my hope that this report will add nuances to the ongoing political debates on both sides of the Mediterranean and humanize the often distorted image of migrants and migration in public and media discourse. As the report suggests, regular monitoring and verification of migration trends and patterns will allow us, over time, to create a reliable and substantiated picture of migration across the Mediterranean. I hope it will inform our common search for solutions to the challenges faced by governments and the suffering of irregular, smuggled and trafficked migrants in North Africa and across the Mediterranean. Pasquale Lupoli Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa International Organization for Migration Cairo, Egypt June 2015 Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots 2 DEFINITIONS Asylum seeker A person who seeks safety from persecution or serious harm in a country other than his or her own and awaits a decision on the application for refugee status under relevant international and national instruments.