Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost during Migration
in December 2013, and increased surveillance of the Mediterranean, more remains to be done to reduce avoidable deaths at sea, as well as on land. Another possibility is to use information on causes of death to better prepare potential migrants prior to departure. While precise data on deaths that occur at the hands of smugglers is a tall order and one that will never be complete, improved information on how and why migrants are dying may shed light on the extent to which the practices of smugglers and traffickers lead to death and if there are groups that are particularly vulnerable. For instance, anecdotal evidence from the Gulf of Aden suggests that rates of death have decreased during the crossing perhaps because of shifting dynamics in the smuggling business such that migrants are now more valued when delivered to their destination alive (see Chapter 5). More precise data concerning how migrants are dying could help distinguish these influences from those of changing policies and practices regarding apprehension and rescue, which may also have contributed to lower death rates. However, it is not enough to only reduce fatalities without addressing the deeper causes that perpetuate this phenomenon – ultimately, improved data should contribute to efforts to better understand the underlying forces that are leading so many to risk their lives to reach another country. Researchers are interested in what data on deaths can tell us about the causes, both direct and indirect, of these fatalities and the potential links with broader migration control policies and practices. The information provided by survivors and the families of those who die can also help to persuade others not to embark on such risky journeys. We must know the contexts in which migrants are dying to ensure State actors make all possible efforts to protect the fundamental rights of migrants and refugees, starting with the most basic right to life. 1.6.3 Respect for the dead and greater closure for families Blanchard et al. (2008) argue that, although estimates of deaths will always lack precision, attempting to create a count is a kind of moral requirement, “a tribute to be paid to the victims,” and in a sense gives “these nameless deaths an existence” (translated from French). Concomitant with the need to better record numbers of dead is the requisite to give identities to those who have died, also for the sake of surviving family members. Stefanie Grant (2011) argues that the right to family life grants families the right to know the fate of their relatives.14 Untold numbers of migrants remain missing. With their locations never traced and their bodies never found, families are left in a state of unknowing. Groups of relatives in Tunisia have come together to trace their missing family members, many refusing to believe the worst: that their loved ones are dead and their bodies lost 14
See: Council of Europe Convention, Article 8 – Right to respect for private and family life; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16(3), which states that: “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.”
Fatal Journey 2014.indb 35
35
10/16/2014 4:18:44 PM