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Routes Roundtable - Migrant Boat Crossings: How can research inform a humanitarian response?
On the 21st September, 2022, with over 50 participants, Routes hosted a virtual roundtable on the topic 'Migrant Boat Crossings: How can research inform a humanitarian response?' The roundtable brought together humanitarian practitioners, journalists and academics for an action-oriented discussion on how research could be used to support interventions into this pressing issue.
The discussion was organised with the intention of addressing the following key issues:
- The responsibility of groups, individuals and the sovereign state
- The Law of Hospitality and the Law of the Sea
- Challenges and opportunities for intersections and knowledge building, for critical reflection on the gaps and the potential for its applications to real world cases and policies concerning peole seeking refuge
- The question of who are the stakeholders that are being addressed or ignored, and who should be part of formulating research endeavours?
The roundtable opened with introductions by one of the Routes coordinators, Professor Elena Isayev, who chaired the session, followed contribution by Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, who provided background on boat crossings in the Channel and discussed both the UK government's current approach to these crossings, and alternative solutions, such as the expansion of safe routes. Professor Elizabeth Greene then outlined the work she and Professor Justin Leidwanger had undertaken in the Central Mediterranean to document the ephemeral heritage produced by boat crossings, and use the storytelling power of archaeology to raise awareness of the journeys undertaken by those travelling to Sicily in small boats, especially locally, where the boat landings occur.
Mattea Weihe, spokesperson for Sea-Watch, went on to describe the data kept by the organisation on the outcomes of migrant boat crossings, suggesting that it could be productively used to investigate illegal pushbacks by Frontex and the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. She was followed by Julia Black, of the International Organisation for Migration's Missing Migrants Project, who described existing research collaborations undertaken by the project to try and shape policy on missing migrants in Mexico, Ethiopia, Spain, the UK and Zimbabwe. She further highlighted the need to bring those with experiences of migration to the table to discuss responses to this issue, and identified factors, such as capitalising on existing sociopolitical movements, and leveraging humanitarian funding, that can increase the chance of success of research-based interventions.
Daniel Howden, Founding Director and Lead Journalist of Lighthouse Reports, then described an investigation undertaken by his organisation into illegal pushbacks of boats by Frontex in the Aegean, using open source data provided by the latter. This investigation ultimately led to the resignation of Frontex's leadership. He called for interdisciplinary teams, such as that present at the roundtable, to use similar data sources to capture wrongdoing and inform potential strategic litigation. The panel discussion was concluded by Sophie Beau, Co-Founder and Co-Director of SOS Méditerranée, who shared her personal experience answering distress calls from migrant boats in the Central Mediterranean, and posed a series of pressing questions which she highlighted as key research priorities, including the need to investigate mechanisms of people smuggling in Libya, the history of the Mediterranean as a humanitarian space and the way in which distress calls are responded to by maritime authorities and merchant ships.
The presentations from panellists was followed by an energetic discussion between audience members and presenters regarding paths forward, covering topics including prioritising actions, expanding qualitative research on this issue, making use of non-operationalised but existing data and determining which actors to target in producing policy change. It was agreed and emphasised that involving people who are displaced should be integral in helping shape research questions and actions - including looking at the root causes behind people choosing to undertake these journeys in the first place.
A full recording of the presentations by panellists can be found below:
Date: 24 September 2020