Tag: migrants

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has begun legal proceedings against the Irish government over its Atypical Work Scheme, which was introduced as a way to register non-European workers in fishing and ensure their rights, however it has failed to stop routine human rights abuses, according to ITF.

The Taiwanese government fails to protect migrant fishers – coming mainly from Southeast Asian countries – against human rights abuses, because of the lack of appropriate laws, transparency and labour inspection measures, the NGO coalition ‘Human Rights for Migrant Fishers’ has noted. 

The European Union’s support for Libya’s Coast Guard which has resulted in thousands of migrants being detained in “horrific” conditions inside Libya is “inhuman,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

The complexities of migration, as a humanitarian challenge, were discussed on Monday, 30 October, at a meeting hosted by the IMO, bringing together representatives of UN agencies, the maritime industry and European Union naval forces.  

“For the ITF, this means a potential sea change for transport workers, in aviation, in ports, and in public transport. We will now work within this agreement to build protection for them as workers, with good, sustainable jobs, recognising international standards and best practice,” ITF stated.

During the second workshop of the International Dialogue on Migration, held in Geneva, on 18-19 July, IMO’s Julian Abril underlined that the number of merchant ships involved in rescue operations has remained relatively constant since 2015. Of particular concern is the upward trend in migrants reported dead or missing in 2016 and 2017.

ECSA’s Maritime Security Working Group recently had an exchange of views with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Warsaw concerning maritime security issues and particularly the challenging issue of migrants at sea. Although the number of migrants rescued from the sea has gone down from 2015, merchant vessels are still often involved in the Search and Rescue operations in central, western and eastern Mediterranean.

Damen has signed a contract with the International Organisation for Migration in Ankara, Turkey for the supply of six Search and Rescue (SAR) vessels for delivery in 2017. The boats are being financed by the European Union and will be operated by the Turkish Coastguard, to support the refugees and migrants rescue operations.

It is a daily fact that migrants and refugees are at risk of drowning as they make the perilous journey to Europe. The charity, Save the Children, together with Vroon and RINA Services have classified specifically dedicated rescue ship to rescue those that run into difficulty when crossing the Mediterranean.