Oxfam welcomes that four governments agreed today to share responsibility for the protection of people rescued from the Mediterranean. More EU cooperation will ensure that ships which have rescued people from drowning will no longer be stranded at sea before being allowed to dock at the nearest port of safety.
Oxfam’s EU migration policy advisor, Raphael Shilhav, said:
“This new initiative is a positive first step to share responsibility between EU countries, and the first moment of hope for a more humane system since European migration policies deteriorated in 2015. We hope that more EU governments will join Italy, Malta, Germany and France so that no refugee or migrant is forced to languish at sea for days, without access to the urgent assistance they need.”
Notes to editors
- Oxfam spokespeople are available in Brussels and Florence, Italy.
- Oxfam has been assisting people seeking asylum in Italy, who passed through Libya and who have shared their experiences of rape, abuse, torture, slavery, and arbitrary detention in appalling conditions.
- According the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 1000 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea so far in 2019.
Contact information
Florian Oel | Brussels | florian.oel@oxfam.org | office +32 2 234 11 15 | mobile +32 473 56 22 60
- Oxfam spokespeople are available in Brussels and Florence, Italy.
- Oxfam has been assisting people seeking asylum in Italy, who passed through Libya and who have shared their experiences of rape, abuse, torture, slavery, and arbitrary detention in appalling conditions.
- According the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 1000 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea so far in 2019.
Florian Oel | Brussels | florian.oel@oxfam.org | office +32 2 234 11 15 | mobile +32 473 56 22 60