Condolences to the families of the victims – Do more to avoid new tragedies at sea – Promote regular entry routes
The Community of Sant’Egidio expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the shipwreck of a boat in the Mediterranean, which occurred last September 2, but which was only reported yesterday following the rescue of the only seven survivors, who remained clinging to the capsized hull for two days. Faced with the death of 21 people – including 3 children – from countries devastated by terrible wars, such as Syria and Sudan, one cannot limit oneself to indignation or to the cold updating of the statistics on the victims of desperate voyages in the Mediterranean.
We make a strong appeal to all institutions, at national and European level, to resume with greater commitment rescue operations at sea, to save the lives of those in danger.
It is also necessary to encourage regular entry routes, including for work reasons, which Italy desperately needs. And for those fleeing from countries at war, activate models that promote rescue and integration, such as humanitarian corridors, which Sant’Egidio has been promoting together with various organizations since 2016 and which have allowed 7,700 people to reach Europe. The latest arrival, a few days ago, was from Libya: twenty refugees evacuated from detention camps, where they suffered serious mistreatment, but who, thanks to the humanitarian corridors, were able to reach Italy with a plane flight without putting their lives in the hands of traffickers.