Tomorrow is World Refugee Day. In a Berlin church mourners read the names of roughly 51,000 people who have died trying to reach Europe since 1993.¹ The roll call takes about 32 hours to complete.

Last Wednesday that list grew longer. An overcrowded fishing boat capsized off the Greek coast. Survivors say there were around 750 people onboard, including 100 children. With fewer than 200 lives saved, hopes are fading for those still missing.

The Mediterranean SeaA sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean. It has the shores of Europe on one and the shores of north Africa on the other, as well as shoreline in Asia. is the world's deadliest migration route. People pay smugglers between €4,500 (£3,848) and €6,000 (£5,130) to escape war and poverty in Africa and Asia to seek a better life in Europe. Many hope to be reunited with family already there.

For example: the relatives of Shaheen Sheikh Ali, a Syrian refugee who arrived in a dinghy in 2016. He knows 12 people who were on the boat and is furious at the smugglers. They treat the passengers "like meat", he says, cramming them onboard without lifejackets.

"My relatives were only dreaming of coming to Europe to work and help their families."

Nine people have been arrested on suspicion of people traffickingThe recruitment, transportation or trade of humans for forced labour or sexual exploitation. . EUEuropean Union. An economic and political union of 27 countries. commissioner Ylva Johansson says Europe must "dismantle the criminal networks" responsible for this disaster. But others believe Europe is to blame.

The Greek coastguard denied they should have helped sooner. When the ship ran into trouble the smugglers refused aid. "Had we forcibly assisted them," said Nikos Alexiou, a coastguard spokesperson, "the tragedy may have been worse."

This is an "unscrupulous business" says EU chief Charles Michel, which exploits hopes and fears for money and gain. This network extends to airlines accused of putting migrants from Asia on chartered flights to Libya, to board illegal boats to Europe.

But the International Rescue Committee claims migrants have few alternatives. Heavily guarded land borders and a lack of "legal pathways" are forcing thousands into the sea. This tragedy is the inevitable result of turning the continent into "Fortress Europe".

These policies include 1,800km of walls and fences, a border patrol force Frontex costing €543m (£464m) and laws that have made it a crime to rescue drowning migrants.

"The dead are victims of inequality," says writer Sally Hayden.² Europe, critics say, has spent centuries exploiting the rest of the world and now wants to keep out those affected by its actions.

Though deadly, the Mediterranean is not the main point of entry for refugees. Last year, 4.8 million Ukrainians legally entered the EU to escape the Russian invasion, compared to 70,000 boat migrants so far this year.

"Why not adopt the same policies for Arab and African migrants?" ask economists Klaus F Zimmermann and Victoria Vernon. Ukraine shows it is possible. Recent research even shows Europe needs people to replace its ageing population.³

But there are 110 million people displaced worldwide. And climate change could push refugee numbers up to 1.2 billion by 2050.⁴ Whoever is responsible, without urgent action the list of the Mediterranean missing is certain to grow.

Yes: Europeans must take responsibility for children dying at their gates. Europeans benefit from a prosperous and safe society and should use that wealth to make the world more equal and more secure.

No: Traffickers overload their boats with terrified and desperate passengers in order to make the most profit from human suffering. They are ultimately to blame for this tragic loss of life.

Or... We cannot stop migration. And we are far from creating a perfect planet where everyone has everything they need. But we can do much more to prevent people from risking their lives in dangerous boats.