ONG

There are numerous rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean, however not enough to deal with the number of people in danger along one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world.After the termination of the Mare Nostrum program in 2014, the Civil Fleet, the civilian fleet of monitoring and rescue ships active in the Mediterranean, has become practically the only resource for those risking their lives during the dangerous illegal crossing. The stretch of sea that extends from Libya or Tunisia to Italy represents a lethal physical barrier, especially for makeshift wooden or rubber boats, often recycled several times by traffickers.Until 2014, the Mare Nostrum operation, started in 2013 in response to the increase in shipwrecks in the Sicilian channel, it had a double mission:guarantee rescue at sea and criminally prosecute those who profit from the illegal trafficking of migrants.Shortly after the end of Mare Nostrum, replaced by Triton in 2014 - a European rather than jus...

Almost ten years have passed since around 600 people lost their lives in two shipwrecks, on 3 and 11 October 2013 off the coast of Lampedusa.In the 11th attack, at least 60 minors lost their lives, so much so that it was defined as "the massacre of children".Since 2016, the Day of Remembrance and Reception has been established on 3 October, as a warning that such tragedies should not be repeated. Since 2014, almost over 26,000 people have disappeared in the same way in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach European shores, according to the data provided by the Missing Migrants project of the World Organization for Migration (IOM). via Missing Migrants Project The last massacre took place at dawn on February 26th:dozens of bodies were dragged by the waves of the stormy sea onto the beach of Steccato di Cutro, in Calabria, after the shipwreck of a fishing boat leaving from Izmir, Turkey, with over 200 people on board. Over 60 people have died of this latest shipwreck at t...

The Government has approved the decree which provides new rules for NGOs Updated December 29, 2022:Yesterday the government approved “a decree-law that introduces urgent provisions for the management of migratory flows”, on the proposal of the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi.The decree establishes a new code of conduct for NGOs carrying out rescues at sea, with more stringent rules.As anticipated, among the sanctions the decree provides for "the administrative detention of the ship (against which appeal to the prefect is permitted) and, in the event of repetition of the prohibited conduct, the confiscation of the same, preceded by precautionary seizure".Sanctions are also foreseen if the commander and owner of a ship "do not provide the information requested by the national authority for search and rescue at sea or do not comply with the instructions given by the latter". Among the first reactions is that...