Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/689748
3 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2016 News 2,809 migrants lost at sea on voyages to Europe so far in 2016 THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimated that 206,400 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 up to 5 June, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Deaths so far this year already total 2,809, compared with 1,838 through the first six months of 2015. With regard to the Friday, 3 June shipwreck off Crete, IOM said 320 migrants and refugees remain missing, based on testimony received from survivors. IOM learned from several survivors that the number of passengers aboard the vessel that foundered at sea was between 648 and 650 men, women and children. Migrants told IOM they were sure of the number "because smugglers counted them twice a day before departure." Others said their boat carried 150 women and about 20 accompanied children, said to be be- tween six months and ten years old. "Before sinking, a father who was travel- ling with his wife and two sons entrusted his three-year-old girl to another migrant he met on board," IOM's team recorded. "He said 'I en- trust you my daughter because I feel that we will not survive.' He died, together with his wife and the other children. He asked the man to look for his relatives in Egypt, in order to give them his daughter." Survivors mentioned another girl, aged seven, who also arrived in Augusta. They believe her parents were also rescued by a different boat and were brought safely to Egypt. Italy's interior ministry, in a statement is- sued last week, noted that Eritreans arriving by sea in the period of 1 January through 31 May 2016 comprised the largest group of arrivals, at 6,076, out of a total of 47,851. In May alone, 19,925 migrants arrived in Italy, down from the 21,231 registered over the same period last year. After Eritrea, Nigeria is in second place with 5,967 arrivals. Other originating countries include The Gambia (3,782), Somalia (3,450), Côte d'Ivoire (3,156), Guinea (2,836), Sudan (2,653) and Mali (2,614). The number of minors among migrants is also rising. In the first five months of 2016, 7,567 migrant minors reached Europe, includ- ing 7,009 unaccompanied children. Nearly half (3,274) came from Egypt, Gambia, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire, which together only accounted for some 500 of unaccompanied minor arrivals in 2015. Federico Soda, Director of the IOM Coordi- nating Office for the Mediterranean in Rome, said that Libya still remained the main depar- ture point of the majority of migrants, despite an increase in the number of migrants sailing from Egypt. "Every year arrivals from Egypt represent 10 to 15 percent of the total, but it is a f low that usually starts with the good weather. This year we have registered arrivals from Egypt also during the first months of the year. They in- clude Egyptians, Somalis, Sudanese and Eritre- ans." According to some testimonies gathered by IOM staff, some of the migrants coming from East Africa also passed through Egypt in order to avoid Libya, which is considered currently too dangerous. The protection of unaccompanied minors is a major concern. They are at high risk of ex- ploitation and human trafficking for both sex and forced labour. IOM works with the Ital- ian government at the landing points in Italy to facilitate the screening and identification of minors and victims of trafficking so that they can be referred to the responsible authorities for protection and assistance. The growing number of minors is surpris- ing in a context that is roughly unchanged in terms of overall numbers of arrivals, according to Soda. Total arrivals of adults and minors in Italy this year have been roughly the same as last year. There were 47,851 arrivals between 1 January and 31 May 2016, compared to 47,452 during the same period in 2015. European Court of Justice: No detention for migrants The European Court of Justice has ruled that non-EU migrants who have illegally entered an EU member state should not face detention on those grounds. Migrants staying illegally should instead be returned to the country from which they came under the so-called Return Directive, it said. The ruling, which applies to migrants crossing borders within the Schengen passport-free zone and on leaving the zone, is bound to infuriate critics of EU policy, but also contains several important caveats. The ruling was triggered by the case of a Ghanaian migrant who was found by French police at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel to be using false Belgian travel documents. Selina Affum was placed in police custody on grounds of illegal entry into French territory but argued that this was unlawful, in light of the EU's Return Directive. Under the directive, an illegal migrant told to leave has up to 30 days to go voluntarily. After that, removal should not involve excessive force or place the person's life in danger. This was also the case when the migrant "is intercepted when leaving the Schengen area". The ruling does not apply to the UK or Ireland, which are not within the Schengen zone. It also does not apply to Denmark, which although a member of the Schengen zone holds an opt-out from European Union justice policies. The ruling also says that migrants may be detained – for up to 18 months – if there is "a risk of the removal being compromised", which may be interpreted to mean that they are a flight risk. Detention is also permitted if a person is subject to a deportation order and has refused to go, or if they have already been deported, and have attempted to re-enter the country illegally, in breach of an entry ban. EU to relaunch Blue Card system The European Commission is mulling the reintroduction of the Blue Card programme to attract skilled professionals from non-EU countries. Launched in 2012, the scheme has made little progress – in 2014 only 13,852 Blue Card work permits were issued, about 12,000 of them provided by Germany. This would offer migrants a legal path to Europe and help member states fill skills gaps in the labour force. As well as lowering the minimum salary that jobs must offer before being open to Blue Card applicants, the proposals would extend eligibility to some of those who have arrived irregularly in Europe and are now seeking asylum. "Early and effective integration of third-country nationals is key to making migration a benefit for the economy and cohesion of our society," Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said. "At the same time, we have to better equip our systems to deal with labour market and skills shortages in the future." More than 206,400 people reached Europe by sea, including some 7,000 unaccompanied minors in Italy alone