Chapter 1 Migrant Deaths: An International Overview
of cases examined by PCOME since 1990 (BMI, 2013).8 Significant changes in gender ratios have occurred over time, with females reaching an average of 23 per cent of those examined by PCOME during the early 2000s and decreasing later in the decade (ibid.). Along the United States–Mexico border limitations on information concerning the deceased is generally due to the advanced state of decomposition of many of the bodies found. In contrast, when deaths occur at sea the high degree of missing information is primarily because bodies are not found and lists of missing passengers do not exist. Figure 1.5: Available information on sex of deceased and missing migrants globally, January–September 2014 3% 1%
Female Male Not specified/Unknown 96%
n = 4,077
Source: IOM own calculations based on data from various sources. See footnote 2.
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Research by Pickering and Cochrane (2013) examining the sex of migrants who died in Europe, Australia and the United States–Mexico border found that basic information, such as sex of the deceased, was unknown in 70 per cent of cases recorded in Europe and Australia. Data were particularly lacking in Europe, with information on sex of the deceased missing in 82 per cent of cases. In contrast, information on sex was missing for only 3 per cent of cases along the United States–Mexico border. This difference in availability of information is likely because data on the United States–Mexico border is obtained from medical examiners’ offices – meaning bodies were recoverable. With this missing information in mind, the researchers found 14 per cent of deaths in Europe could be identified as male as compared to 3 per cent female; 18 per cent were male versus 14 per cent identified as female in Australia; and 76 per cent male versus 21 per cent female along the United States–Mexico border (Pickering and Cochrane 2013:37). Building on this data, the researchers found that the cause of death for women was more likely to be drowning than it was for men when crossing to Europe or Australia. An examination of the sinking of the SIEV X in 2001 near West Java, which killed over 350 people, revealed that women 8
Considering cases in which sex was determinable.
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