Blaming the Rescuers
<p>Aiming to deter migrants from crossing the Mediterranean, the EU and its member states pulled back from rescue at sea at the end of 2014, leading to record numbers of deaths. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were forced to deploy their own rescue missions in a desperate attempt to fill this gap and reduce casualties. Today, NGOs are under attack, wrongly accused of ‘colluding with smugglers’, ‘constituting a pull-factor’ and ultimately endangering migrants. This report refutes these accusations through empirical analysis. It is written to avert a looming catastrophe: if NGOs are forced to stop or reduce their operations, many more lives will be lost to the sea.</p>
Authors: Forensic Architecture, Forensic Oceanography, Charles Heller, Lorenzo Pezzania
Developer: Rossana Padeletti, Richard Limeburner
Researcher: Nancy Porsia, Sabine Llewellyn
Editors: Shela Sheikh
Video Editor: Laure Vermeersch, Samaneh Moafi
Designer: Matteo Menapace, Aimee Matthew-John, Nick Axel
Contributors: Christina Varvia, Eyal Weizman
Forensic Architecture, Goldsmiths, University of London, Forensic Oceanography