Geneva International Centre for Justice released on 27 July 2015 its report ‘Swimming Against the Tides: Examining the EU Response to Irregular Migration through the Mediterranean Sea.’ GICJ has been following closely the recent developments at the European Commission with regards to irregular migration. GICJ wishes to highlight with this report the underlying causes of the crisis and the necessary steps that have to be taken to reach a sustainable solution.
The report shows that since the November 2014 cancelation of “Mare Nostrum”, the Italian search and rescue naval operation in the Mediterranean Sea, hundreds of lives have been lost at sea. Despite the dangers facing them however, migrants continue to make the journey to Europe by the boatload. Those risking everything to come to Europe are doing so because they face unimaginable conditions and horrors in their home country. Europe represents an opportunity to forge the life they deserve. For them, Europe is a chance to fulfill many of their rights which are affirmed in various international human rights treaties. To deny anyone of this right goes against the essence of the human rights field. For Europe to deny these rights is an act of the utmost hypocrisy from the continent which has championed and pioneered the universality of human rights. Yet, in the report GICJ explores the repeated efforts by European states to shirk responsibility in the past few months, despite the ever worsening situation.