Ship of Immigrants capsizes in the Mediterranean

This morning a 20-meter long fishing vessel traveling from Libya to Malta capsized in the Mediterranean with purportedly around 700 individuals on it. 300 of which were allegedly locked in the hold as part of a human trafficking  Currently only 30 people have been rescued. This is a disaster due to the context it occurs in and the massive number of people who have lost their lives. Let me first address the context and then move onto how it creates a disaster. illegal immigration has been a small problem for Italy in the past, but since the ousting of Gaddafi in Libya in 2010 there has been a flood of illegal immigrants trying to cross into Europe. This trend has continued to the current day due to a failure to create a stable central government in Libya and the new presence of ISIS. Last year Italy rolled back on their initiative called Mare Nostrum to rescue any immigrants trying to make the cross who capsize for fear in Italy that it actually encouraged Libyans to make the crossing.


This single tragedy is the result of the trickling down of greater issues facing the region.

Risk= Hazard/Threat x Vulnerability x cost/impact

The "Risk" of this event is massive. Risk being the risk of immigrants trying to flee North Africa by boat. The hazard facing the Libyans is the possibility of death through all the faults of Libya lacking a central government. At home these immigrants face persecution, death, rape, and unending poverty due to the instability and rise of uncontrolled radicalism in Libya. The Vulnerability is the poverty and lack of other options those on the ship experienced. ISIS is gaining ground in Libya and all of its surrounding countries which if not Sunni or as radical as they are, leaves Europe as the only choice these people have to move to. The cost to themselves is their death if they fail the crossing or the possibility to escape the human trafficking once they reach Europe. The choice seems simple to them if they can avoid the severe rule of the Sunni based ISIS. This disaster will repeat itself several times over if action is not taken to stabilize Libya and the greater North Africa. Only through action concerning Libya will anyone be able to reduce the hazard or vulnerability of the region and thus result the number of North Africans illegally immigrating to Italy and Europe.

The reason this is a disaster is because it will cause reverberations throughout Europe. There has already been outrage in Europe over what is seen as a failure by the Coast Guards of the Mediterranean countries to protect those on it. This loss of life will make Europe shift their focus back onto the crisis enveloping northern Africa. This will lead to action concerning those states.

If a tragedy has the ability to refocus several countries, it takes on importance beyond merely a tragedy. It becomes a disaster.


Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/hundreds-feared-dead-after-migrant-boat-capsizes-in-mediterranean/article24018773/