To appreciate the gravity of the problem, consider this; the reported deaths of migrants at sea so far this year are 30 times higher than in 2014, itself a record year.

On Sunday, in the worst disaster of its kind, around 700 — some estimates say 900 — such individuals are believed to have drowned when the fishing vessel they were travelling in capsized off the Libyan coast.

Less than 30 survived the tragedy which occurred when a ship arrived on the scene to provide assistance, as instructed by the Italian coastguard which had picked up a distress signal from the migrants’ boat.

Read: 700 feared dead as migrants’ boat capsizes off Libya

In their haste to escape the stricken vessel, the passengers reportedly rushed to one side, which caused it to keel over. Last week, a dinghy carrying migrants sank; 41 drowned. On April 12, 400 people perished when their vessel capsized.

Only extreme desperation can drive individuals to take the dire risks inherent in a perilous sea crossing in overloaded boats ill-equipped for such a journey.

The latest exodus of migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean has largely been triggered by the turmoil in Libya, but also includes people from Syria and sub-Saharan countries.

What is desperation for many, however, is for others an opportunity to make a profit. Driven purely by avarice, human smuggling networks treat the individuals who have entrusted themselves to their care — often at the cost of their life savings — as no more than mere cargo.

Read: Survivors say 400 migrants drowned off Libya

In September 2014, an estimated 500 migrants drowned after traffickers deliberately rammed the boat they were travelling in, in an attempt to force them onto a smaller vessel.

Such callousness has unfortunately been matched — if unwittingly so — by the European Union’s new approach in which the Italian-run search-and-rescue operation Mare Nostrum, that reportedly saved 100,000 lives in 2014, was suspended on the grounds that it was encouraging people to undertake the journey.

That logic is flawed, as proved by the sequence of shipwrecks this year.

The West’s exploitative policies have contributed much to the mayhem wrought by despots and extremists of various kinds, and which has compelled so many to seek European shores for refuge.

Given this reality, these vulnerable individuals should be not be viewed simply as economic migrants — and thereby at risk of deportation — but as refugees so that the relevant international laws can protect them until they are able to return home in safety. The world cannot turn its back on their plight.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2015

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