The tragic milestone has been confirmed in a new report by the International Organization for Migration. Missing Migrants Project, this also affirms that any country of origin, transit or arrival has taken very little action.
“Although thousands of deaths are recorded on migration routes each year, very little action is taken to address the consequences of these tragedies, let alone prevent them. ” speak Julia Black, co-author of the study.
Draw a blank
The nationalities of more than 30,000 people in the Missing Migrants Project have yet to be identified, which means that more than 60% of those who died on the migration route remain unidentified. The IOM says thousands of families are “searching for answers”.
“Time has passed, there is no news,” said the IOM, quoting a Moroccan who emigrated to Spain in 2021, who was searching for his brother who went missing 20 years ago en route to Europe. .
Of the missing migrants whose nationality can be identified, more than 9,000 are from Africa, more than 6,500 are from Asia and another 3,000 are from the Americas.
“Notably, the top three countries of origin – Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar – are marked by violence, with many people leaving their homes to seek refuge abroad,” the IOM said.
deadly legacy
More than half of the 50,000 recorded deaths occurred on routes to and within Europe, with Mediterranean routes claiming the lives of at least 25,104 people.
European routes also account for the largest number and proportion of missing and presumed dead migrants, with at least 16,032 people recorded missing at sea and their remains never found.
Africa is the second most dangerous region for migrants, with more than 9,000 migration-related deaths recorded since 2014. Household surveys in the region show these this number is almost certainly too large a number.
dangerous route
And in the Americas, almost 7,000 deaths have been recorded, 4,694 of them on their way to the United States. The US-Mexico land border area alone has seen more than 4,000 deaths since 2014.
The IOM has also recorded another 6,200 deaths across Asia.
“Children account for more than 11 percent of deaths on migration routes in Asia, the highest rate of any region,” according to the report.
It noted that of the 717 recorded child deaths related to migration in the region, 436 were Rohingya refugees.
In West Asia, at least 1,315 people have been killed on migration routes, many of them in countries with ongoing conflict, making it extremely difficult to document those missing. towel.
At least 522 people from the Horn of Africa have died in Yemen – often victims of violence – and 264 Syrian deaths have been recorded in attempts to cross the Türkiye border.
Lajas Blancas is a migrant reception center established in Panama near the border with Colombia.
call to action
The IOM stressed that “obligations under international law, including the right to life, must always be respected”.
UN agency calling for international solidarity in prioritizing search and rescue operations; improve and widen regular and safe migration routes; and ensure that the law prioritizes the protection and safety of everyone on the go.
“No matter what motivates or motivates people to move, no one deserves to die in search of a better life,” said IOM’s Ms Black.
