Ratio of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea increases as new discussions on migration policies unfold in the EU

News about shipwrecks, returns or disembarkation of boats carrying migrants and refugees across the Mediterranean Sea is reported at least weekly, but more often daily, in international newspapers. This often includes loss of life, adding up to hundreds of people every year. The constant flow of information can numb one to the sheer frequency and numbers of deaths and missing people at sea. In the wake of the new Migration Pact proposed by the European Commission, experts warn that some EU policies may increase the risk for migrants and refugees.

News Highlights: Eritrean embassy office reprimanded by Netherlands, Deportation of Sudanese man ruled unlawful, Frontex implicated in pushbacks

In this week’s news highlights: Dutch Minister takes action against Eritrean embassy amid coerced fund collection; Frontex implicated in illegal “push-backs”; Four asylum seekers, including two children, die trying to cross the English Channel; OXFAM Italia reports on increased human rights violations due to migration deals; Italian ex-minister to go to trial for alleged kidnapping in rescue boat case; Home Office reduces minimum required salary for migrants to settle; Blog posts to be written by experts on new migration pact; Forced repatriation of a Sudanese refugee from Belgium has been considered unlawful by ECHR; Updated list of missing Eritrean political prisoners published by Eritrea Hub; German government provides funding to Ethiopia for border and migration management; Eritrean asylum seekers face increased difficulty in Ethiopia amidst COVID-19 and reception restrictions; Hunger strike by two Eritrean refugees in Egypt jail; ILO and IOM sign agreement to improve collaboration on migration; and India ships food aid to countries in the Horn of Africa.

News Highlights: EP Resolution demands immediate release of Dawit Isaak, 15-year old boy dies on Italian ship, UNSC extends resolution for checking and seizing Libya boats

In this week’s news highlights: European Parliament demands the release of Eritrean-Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak and condemns ongoing human rights abuses; Migrants drown and go missing off the coast of Djibouti; Detention centres for Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia remain “hellish”; 5 migrants jailed after riot in detention centre in Morocco; Security Council grants extension of resolution on inspection and seizure of migrant boats from Libya; Teenage boy who shows signs of torture dies on Italian quarantine ship; British Home Secretary introduces new laws on asylum that differentiate people using traffickers; Italy alleviates migration rules and Salvini goes on trial; Immigrant groups in Norway unprotected from pressure and control of governments from which they fled; Refugees on Lesbos in Greece continue to live in appalling sanitary conditions; and the DRC Report highlights the consequences of Covid-19 on the Global Compact of Refugees.