IOM Missing Migrants Project
Completion Date:
Project Overview
Missing Migrants Project records since 2014 people who die in the process of migration towards an international destination, regardless of their legal status. The data is part of a specific project called the Missing Migrants Project which tracks deaths of migrants, including refugees , who have gone missing along mixed migration routes worldwide. It could give an indication of changing conditions and trends related to migration routes and the people travelling on them, which can be relevant for policy making and protection plans. The outcome of this analysis might improve the lack of political commitment at national and international levels to record and account for migrant deaths. It may also help to expose a lack of concern more broadly for the safety and well-being of migrants, including asylum-seekers. Further, it drives public apathy, ignorance, and the dehumanization of these groups.
Role:
Problem Statement
Globally, 281 million people were estimated to be international migrants –people who were born and/or held foreign citizenship – at mid-year 2020. At the end of 2022, an estimated global total of 71.1million people remained displaced within the borders of their own country – 62.5 million because of conflict and violence and 8.7 million because of disaster. An estimated 13% of the total number of international migrants in 2020 were children below 18 years of age and 48% were girls and women. An estimated 169 million international migrant workers – defined as international migrants of working age in the labor force – made up 62% of the total number of international migrants in 2019
Executive Summary
Data Dictionary
Key Takeaways
IOM has recorded 23,274 Missing migrants and 30,266 Dead between the year 2014 and March 2023. Among 30,266 dead migrants, Female migrant victims covers the highest by 59% and dead male migrants cover 30%. Child death also contributed 5%. During this period, Male YoY Death has increased 15%, Female YoY death increased 10% and Child YoY death increased 12%. Similarly, Missing YoY also increased 11%. To tackle these issues that cost thousands of lives year over year, I strongly recommend stockholders and actors to take the following measures:
1. For all actors and Governments of Countries:
From 2014 to 2023, the fate of 53,540 dead and missing migrants is unknown. These migrants has families who cares about them. Therefore, I recommend that all efforts to assist families of dead and missing migrants should situate families at the center of all searches and related initiatives, including recognizing and meaningfully considering their expertise and knowledge. This involves learning and incorporating search methods and/or research tools developed by families and civil society into official and/or systematized search processes. Recognizing and legitimizing the efforts of families and other key search actors that support them (such as friends, diaspora members and activists), instead of dismissing them as amateur or non-professional, builds trust and cooperation. This requires ensuring the active involvement of families of missing migrants in search and identification processes, as well as of grass-roots associations and civil society organizations that support them. This may also demand finding ways to incorporate data generated from non-traditional sources (for example, information shared by smugglers), which are often dismissed by authorities but can be useful to other actors who help in the search.
Initiatives to support families of of dead and missing migrants should follow an intersectional approach that takes into account how gender, age, race, class, disability, migration status and other factors intersect to shape vulnerability and exclusion, with a focus on lowering barriers to accessing support and services for those facing multiple disadvantages. Sidelining or ignoring the ways such factors shape the encounters of families with authorities, large organizations, and other institutions or bodies supporting them, may inadvertently leave those facing multiple, overlapping barriers behind, and add harm and further trauma to families.
To improve the response to of dead and missing migrant cases, States should develop a roadmap establishing clear guidance for government departments, State institutions, regional and local authorities on their respective roles regarding search strategies, identification methods, information-sharing pathways, and data collection, centralization and sharing. The roadmap should deploy a multi-stakeholder approach that ensures the active involvement of families of missing migrants in search and identification processes, as well as of grass-roots associations and civil society organizations that support them, along with other key stakeholders
2. Focus on the most deadly routes
Missing Migrants Project has recorded the deaths of 53,540 people since 2014. The remains of 23,274 people who lost their lives during migration have not been recovered. According to this analysis, the deadliest route is the Central Mediterranean route. Drowning with 31,960 deaths and mixed or unknown with 8,300 deaths are the major causes of death of migrants in their rout. To alleviate this, I recommend consolidating global efforts and working on the deadliest routes may help to have access to rapid information when coming to savings these lives and strengthening rescuing efforts.
3. De-emphasis boarder security
According to this data, the major cause of over 31,960 migrants’ death is Drowning. This is because developed nations are rapidly militarized and secure their borders to protect migrants not to cross in an easy way. This drive migrants into more perilous routes including seas and Oceans which is the major cause of migrants’ death. Therefore, I recommend governments of these countries to de-emphases border controls and fixing immigration systems may help to discourage migrants from taking riskier routes. Additionally, continues monitoring of seas and oceans may help to improve rescuing efforts.
4. Support least developed nations
According to IOM, at the end of 2022, an estimated global total of 71.1 million people remained displaced within the borders of their own country – 62.5 million because of conflict and violence and 8.7 million because of disaster. Therefore, I strongly recommend that helping least developed and developing nations to improve their economic, social, and political conditions will create an opportunity for citizens of those countries to stay and work in their own countries and encourage them to avoid taking risker routes for looking a better life in developed nations.
Next Steps
- Recognizing and legitimizing the efforts of families and other key search actors that support them (such as friends, diaspora members and activists), instead of dismissing them as amateur or non-professional, builds trust and cooperation.
- Initiatives to support families of of dead and missing migrants should follow an intersectional approach that takes into account how gender, age, race, class, disability, migration status and other factors intersect to shape vulnerability and exclusion, with a focus on lowering barriers to accessing support and services for those facing multiple disadvantages.
- To improve the response to of dead and missing migrant cases, States should develop a roadmap establishing clear guidance for government departments, State institutions, regional and local authorities on their respective roles regarding search strategies, identification methods, information-sharing pathways, and data collection, centralization and sharing. -
Focus on the most deadly routes
- De-emphasis boarder security
- Support least developed nations
Deployment
