Non-governmental organizations involved in efforts to rescue migrants from the sea on Thursday denounced the strict anti-immigration measures recently approved by the Italian government, noting that they will lead to the death of more migrants in the Mediterranean.
Non-governmental organizations involved in efforts to rescue migrants from the sea on Thursday denounced the Italian government's recent crackdown on immigration, saying the new rules would lead to more migrants dying in the Mediterranean.
A resolution approved last week stipulates that charity ships must request a port and sail towards it “without delay” after any rescue, rather than remain at sea looking for other stranded migrant boats as is happening now.
Captains of ships who break the rules could be fined up to 50,000 euros ($52,760) and their ships impounded.
A group of 17 NGOs issued a joint statement expressing their "extreme concerns" about the decision by the conservative coalition government led by Georgia Meloni, which came to power last year after pledging to reduce migrant flows to Italy.
The organizations accused Italy of seeking to reduce the time during which charitable ships could carry out search and rescue missions, and pointed out that ships have recently been required to transport migrants who are pulled from the sea to distant ports.
"Non-governmental organizations are already overwhelmed by the failure of countries to carry out search and rescue operations, and the reduced presence of rescue ships will inevitably lead to more people tragically drowning at sea," she said in the statement.
Among the organizations that signed the statement are Doctors Without Borders, C.I., Sea-Watch and SOS Humanity.
Data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior shows that about 105,140 migrants arrived in the country in 2022, compared to 67,477 in 2021 and 34,154 in 2020. The United Nations estimates that about 1,400 migrants died when crossing the Mediterranean in 2022.