The apparent success—in terms of a reduction in the number of arrivals—of the EU-Turkey deal and the so-called “hotspots” persuaded the EU that this might be the most effective approach.18 The support to the Libyan coast guard, increased cooperation with Niger, and the proposed creation of regional disembarkation platforms for migrants outside the EU, have been further steps in this direction.19 T. [...] 18 Proposed by the European Commission as part of the European Agenda on Migration of April 2015, the “hotspots” are first reception facilities designed to better coordinate EU agencies' and national authorities' efforts at the external borders of the EU—notably, Italy and Greece—in the identification, registration, and fingerprinting of migrants and refugees. [...] The length of the sea journey and the preceding desert route, the substandard quality of the boats, and political turmoil in Libya have all contributed to making the route a considerably more dangerous alternative to the EMR. [...] The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science; UNHCR (2021) Routes towards the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea; OHCHR (2021) Lethal Disregard: Search and rescue and the protection of migrants in the central Mediterranean Sea; Council of Europe (2021) A distress call for human rights: the widening gap in migrant protection in the Mediterranean. [...] Stops along the route The most frequently cited reasons for stopping along the journey were waiting for transport, working to earn money to cover the costs of further legs of the journey, looking for smugglers to organize the next stretch of the journey, being detained, and resting.54 However, the reasons for stopping appear linked to a number of factors, including the country of origin and gender.
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- Published in
- Switzerland
