Sasha Milonova

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Sasha Milonova's PhD research project

Anti-migrant rhetoric from policy-makers has not dissuaded thousands of people from attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to seek refuge in Europe.

Although humanitarian and maritime law provides for their safe passage, European states have long shirked their responsibilities to provide assistance to boats in distress, making the Mediterranean the world's deadliest border crossing.

Migrants waiting to board a boat in Lampedusa, Italy
Migrants in Lampedusa, Italy

Civil society actors that stepped in to support people on the move have been increasingly politicized and criminalised. This research proposes to investigate the implications of Italy’s newest policies governing civil search and rescue operations.

It will use open source data and forensic architecture methodologies to quantify the lives lost as a result of these changes, demonstrating the brutality, the waste of resources, and just how dramatically these policies depart from established international law.

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