Migrant Fatalities, Identification and Data Workshop, 14-15 June Frank Laczko, IOM
Outline I. Overview of workshop II. Fatal Journeys, Volume 2 III. Trends in migrant fatalities, 2015 IV. Trends in migrant fatalities, 2016 V. Missing Migrants Database, methodology and challenges
Key topics of the workshop 1. Collection, management, and exchange of data on missing migrants 2. Challenges identifying of migrant disappearances and fatalities 3. Policy aimed at identification of migrant dead and missing
Key aims of the workshop Improve data on missing and deceased migrants - Discussion of collection, management, and exchange of data on migrant deaths and disappearances - Identification of gaps in present data on missing migrants Facilitate the identification of missing and deceased migrants - Identification of challenges for local authorities and national governments - Dialogue on improving current efforts in order to aid identification efforts Foster dialogue between key policy makers and relevant actors - Advance policy and good practices aimed at facilitating identification of deceased migrants
Workshop outputs Workshop summary paper highlighting main points of discussion sessions - Global network of experts working on the issue of migrant deaths and disappearances Policy brief aimed at improving identification processes and increasing access to these processes
Fatal Journeys Volume 2 Identification and Tracing of Dead and Missing Migrants
About Fatal Journeys, Vol. 2 Second annual report on global migrant deaths 1. In-depth analysis of available data on migrant deaths for 2015 2. Examines the challenges facing families and authorities in identification and tracing of missing migrants
5 Recommendations for Action 1. Equal treatment: the same assistance should be accorded to the migrant dead and missing as any other individual. 2. Identification and respect for the dignity of the dead: relevant actors should give best effort to collect and preserve personal data. 3. Assistance to families: families of missing migrants should be given assistance and support in their search for family members. 4. International databases: nationally collected data should be stored securely and accessed transnationally. 5. Global programme of research: gaps in current data should be filled in order to reduce the number of migrant deaths and improve identification processes.
Trends in Migrant Fatalities 2015 Tara Brian, IOM
Migrant deaths around the world, 2015
Migrant deaths around the world, 2015 Estimated 5,400 deaths during migration in 2015 Up slightly from 5,200 in 2014 3,770 in the Mediterranean (69%) 800 in South East Asia (14%) 320 U.S.-Mexico border (6%) 60,000 in last 20 years (very conservative)
Mediterranean 77% on Central Mediterranean Much higher rate of death in Central Mediterranean Fewer bodies recovered CM Eastern Mediterranean more prominent starting in Sept. 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 1,230 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 221 Central Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean Western Mediterranean
Central Mediterranean Irregular maritime arrivals to Italy in 2015 by main nationality 8.0% 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% Rate of death in Central Mediterranean (per 100 migrants), 2014 and 2015 7.2% 7.1% 3.5% 2015 2014 36% 6% 5% 6% 8% 25% 14% Eritrea Nigeria Somalia Sudan Syria Gambia Other 77% of deaths in Mediterranean; 97% in 2014 Most bodies not found Poor data little demographic information
Eastern Mediterranean Increased by more than 23 times from 2014 (about 35 deaths in 2014) 300 deaths en route to Lesvos (0.07 per 100); 124 Farmakonisi (1.3 per 100) Approx. 45% of arrivals in 2015 were of women and children (17% children) 33% of deaths children Most bodies recovered, which aids in identification. As does traveling with relatives.
Mediterranean 4000 Arrivals and recorded dead and missing migrants in the Mediterranean, 2010-2015 3,770 1,200,000 3500 3000 2500 3,279 1,011,712 1,000,000 800,000 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1,500 700 500 220,194 267 71,172 14,260 23,254 60,173 2010** 2011* 2012 2013 2014 2015 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 Deaths Arrivals
South-East Asia 32,600 migrants traveling through Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in 2015; 200,000 since 2012 550 deaths at sea in 2015; 750 in 2014 Rate of death similar to Central Mediterranean (1.7%) 160 found in smugglers camps Next to no access to identification and tracing mechanisms
10 U.S.-Mexico border and Mexico 139 27 145 321 deaths on U.S.-Mexico border. US Border Patrol = 240 FY2015 Over 6,500 deaths on US side of the border since 1998 (250 500 annually) Hundreds reported missing in Mexico and hundreds of bodies repatriated to Central American countries. Many maimed and killed on La Bestia 79
U.S.-Mexico border 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 263 249 Migrant deaths and apprehensions on the US Southwest Border, as recorded by US Border Patrol, FY 1998 2015 380 340 320 338 328 492 454 398 385 420 365 375 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 477 445 308 240 1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 Migrant deaths Southwest Border apprehensions
North Africa and Sahara At least 110 deaths on land routes in 2015 At least 1,700 deaths between 1996 and 2013 (Fortress Europe) 30 en route to Canary Islands Libya? In 2015, Human Rights Watch estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 migrants and asylum-seekers were held in detention in Libya United Nations Support Mission in Libya: 27 Libyans died while in custody in Libya late 2011 to mid-2013
Sub-Saharan Africa 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 Migrant deaths in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, 2006-2015 1,400 743 638 376 265 131 15 43 95 5 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Deaths More than 3,700 deaths in Gulf of Aden and Red Sea in last decade Zimbabwe-South Africa Unknown en route to Comoros at least 20, but possibly many more (7,000 10,000 since mid 1990s) Very poor data
Some rates of identification Area Europe Mediterranean States (Italy, Greece, Malta, Spain, Cyprus) Share of remains identified Time frame Source 35% 1990 2013 Deaths at the Borders Database, VU University Amsterdam Rhodes Island, Greece 74% 2015 and first two months of 2016 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Thrace region, Greece 25% 2010 2015 Dr Pavlidis, Laboratory of Forensic Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace October 2013 Lampedusa +50% LABANOF, University of Milan Shipwrecks Southern Arizona a 66% 1990 2013 Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner Webb County, Texas b 58% Mid-2013 mid-2015 Webb County Medical Examiner
Trends in Migrant Fatalities 2016 Julia Black, IOM
Migrant deaths around the world, 2015
Migrant deaths around the world, 2016 3,105 deaths and disappearances recorded during migration from 1 January - 31 May, 2016 Up 12% from 2,780 deaths recorded in 2015 2,516 in the Mediterranean (38% higher than 2015) 235 in the Horn of Africa 115 in routes through Latin America
Mediterranean 1200 1000 83% on Central Mediterranean Estimated less than 15% of bodies recovered in Central Mediterranean in 2016 April 24-30 second-most deadly week ever recorded in Mediterranean 800 600 400 200 0 275 1130 Jan Feb March April May Central Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean Western Mediterranean
Central Mediterranean 2,096 recorded Jan May 2016 83% of deaths in Mediterranean; up from 77% in 2015 Proportion of missing much higher than other routes 1400 1200 Deaths in the Mediterranean by route 1,230 Western Mediterranean Central Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean 1,095 1000 864 800 600 400 200 0
Eastern Mediterranean 376 deaths recorded in Jan - May 2016 January 2016 had most deaths recorded in Eastern Mediterranean in one month (275) After March s effective closure of route, 98% decrease in arrivals in Greece and 82% decrease in deaths in Eastern Mediterranean 300 275 Deaths recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean 250 200 150 100 50 190 221 207 0 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2014 2015 2016
Routes to Europe Middle East Horn of Africa North Africa 34 deaths recorded in Turkey and Lebanon in Jan - May 2016-33 were Syrian nationals - 21 Syrians killed by Turkish border guards according to NGO sources 235 deaths recorded Jan - May 2016-175 in overland routes from Eastern Africa to Libya and Egypt - 60 in Straits of Yemen and Gulf of Aden 98 deaths recorded Jan - May 2016-85 drownings between Africa and Canary Islands - Likely many deaths go unrecorded in Sahara Desert
Routes to the United States 115 recorded dead or missing in 2016 69 deaths near US-Mexico border 18 deaths recorded in Mexico 7 deaths in Central America 12 deaths in the Caribbean 10 deaths in South America
Missing Migrants Project Tracking dead and missing migrants worldwide
About IOM's Missing Migrants Project Aim: To provide accessible data tracking migrant deaths and disappearances worldwide Only global database on migrant deaths and disappearances Compile information on age, gender, origin, location and manner of death of migrants Information sourced from government bodies, international institutions, NGOs, and media reports Provides comparison of trends by year in data briefings and annual reports
Methodology: 4 main sources of data Official reporting IOM reporting NGO collaboration GMDAC team Missing Migrants database Media sources Missing Migrants Project counts migrants who have died or gone missing at the external borders of states, or in the process of migration towards an international destination.
Who uses MMP data? Media: Estimates for worldwide and regional migrant deaths regularly used by most major news agencies IGOs & NGOs: information requests from humanitarian actors Academia: used inacademic projects in3 continents in2016s Families: contacted by more than 25 individuals in search of missing family members in 2016
How complete is Missing Migrants data? Data on fatalities during the migration process is challenging to collect for several reasons: The nature of irregular migration means that routes are often chosen in order to evade detection and migrants may be unwilling to give accurate information Migrant deaths at sea mean that an unknown number go missing and may not be recovered Disaggregated data on deaths means that it is difficult to find official data on a global scale Incomplete information may mean that deaths are over- or undercounted
What are the plans for Missing Migrants Project? Identification of key underreporting regions Annual estimates in key regions Hiring of regional researchers to act as key informants in identified regions
Contact: Dr. Frank Laczko Director, IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Centre flaczko@iom.int Tara Brian IOM Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa tbrian@iom.int Julia Black IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Centre jblack@iom.int