Are rich countries to blame? "Please help. We are in the water." A desperate call from a sinking boat leads to a dramatic rescue that puts migration policy in the spotlight.
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Horror as migrants drown in the dead of night
Are rich countries to blame? "Please help. We are in the water." A desperate call from a sinking boat leads to a dramatic rescue that puts migration policy in the spotlight.
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On Wednesday morning, a fishing boat rescued 31 migrants from an inflatable boat sinking in the English Channel. At least four people died.
The tragedy followed British prime minister Rishi Sunak's announcement to get tough on migrants arriving in the UK by boat.
This year, over 40,000 have been smuggled across the Strait of Dover1. Since 1999, more than 300 have drowned. The worst disaster was last November when 27 died.
Globally, 281 million people are on the move2. Many flee conflict, poverty and climate change and risk their lives to reach safety. Thousands die each year.
Who is to blame? The UK promises to clamp down on people smugglers and those falsely claiming asylum. The home secretary says no genuine asylumWhen a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention. seeker should come from a "safe country" like France.
Rishi Sunak wants to make it harder for undocumented migrants to open bank accounts, live and work in the UK. He plans to deport more people to AlbaniaA country of 2.8 million people in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. A third of Albanians live in poverty. , the origin of 35% of arrivals by boat this year.
This "will cause more suffering", warn Medecins Sans Frontiers. Closing safe routes to asylum forces people to take greater risks.
This tragedy is "the government's own making", says Steve Crawshaw from the charity Freedom from Torture. Rich nations should make the world safer and not blame migrants.
Rishi Sunak talks about boats "full of illegal immigrants". Some say this language is wrong. The journalist Jose Antonio Vargas says, "I am here illegally" is a fact. But "people can't be illegal", and calling them so is "inaccurate" and "irresponsible".
Others say we must rethink the legal system that separates refugeesAnyone fleeing conflict or persecution is defined as a refugee by the UN as a refugee, regardless of where they are from. from economic migrants. By 2070, climate change may force three billion people to leave their homes3. National borders, writes journalist Gaia Vince, may not be "fit for the 21st Century".
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Are rich countries to blame?
Yes: People will always take risks to escape war and poverty. If rich countries want fewer migrants, they must make the world more equal.
No: Ultimately, people smugglers are responsible. They put lives in danger and benefit from desperate people seeking safety.
Or... Blaming one factor for this tragedy is too simplistic. There are many reasons why migrants leave their homes and take risks to reach another country.
Keywords
Asylum - When a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Albania - A country of 2.8 million people in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. A third of Albanians live in poverty.
Refugees - Anyone fleeing conflict or persecution is defined as a refugee by the UN as a refugee, regardless of where they are from.
Horror as migrants drown in the dead of night
Smuggled: People rescued from the boat said they had paid £5,000 for a place in the unsafe vessel. Glossary
Asylum - When a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Albania - A country of 2.8 million people in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. A third of Albanians live in poverty.
Refugees - Anyone fleeing conflict or persecution is defined as a refugee by the UN as a refugee, regardless of where they are from.