Two tragic incidents in the last month have highlighted the issue of refugee drowning deaths, with at least 89 people drowning whilst on-route to seeking refuge in a new country.
More than 40 African migrants (mostly Ethiopian and Somalian) trying to reach Yemen by boat on January 3, drowned in heavy seas off the coast and a second boat that is thought to have had as many as 40 people on board remains missing. There have been conflicting reports over the number of victims and the cause of the accident, with estimates ranging from 35 to 80 victims.
The Yemen interior ministry claims that the accident was caused by high winds and a tsunami which capsized both boats, whilst witnesses and the UN claim that only one boat capsized due to panic among the passengers after the boat’s engine became caught in fishing nets. A search is being carried out in the hope of finding survivors.
Thousands of people attempt the treacherous journey from Africa across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen every year. The United Nation’s (UN) refugee agency says more than 74,000 Africans arrived in Yemen in 2009, fleeing civil war, political instability, poverty, famine and drought. Yemen is seen as a gateway to a better life in the Middle East or Europe however people smugglers often crowd migrants into old and unseaworthy vessels. In September 2010, 13 African refugees also drowned when their boat capsized in the Gulf of Aden.
In December, 48 refugees (mainly Iranian and Iraqi Kurds) drowned when a boat travelling from Indonesia on route to Australia smashed into the jagged coastline of Christmas Island during bad weather and rough seas. 42 people of the 90 on board were rescued. Lifejackets thrown into the sea by Christmas Island residents saved the lives of at least 9 children.
A recent article by two Australian researchers, Dr. Leanne Weber and Professor Sharon Pickering, has identified that drowning accounts for well over half the deaths of refugees and asylum seekers recorded by European non-government organisations. Their studies have found that nearly 14000 men, women and children are known to have died from 1993 to 2010 trying to enter Europe, during detention or forcible deportation.
Their article highlights one of the worst cases of mass refugee drowning deaths when a boat dubbed the SIEV X sank inside the Australian aerial border-protection surveillance zone. The sinking of this boat in 2001 killed 146 children, 142 women and 65 men.
Each and every refugee drowning death should be a call to action to the water safety and lifesaving community. These cases highlight drowning prevention themes including swimming, water safety and lifesaving education, as well as maritime safety.
Urgent research is required to quantify drowning among refugee populations including the identification of prevention strategies.
Amy Peden & Justin Scarr, Royal Life Saving Society - Australia
,
The conference organisers welcome contributions to this news facility. Please email all contributions to jscarr@rlssa.org.au