Malta: Refugees Dying at Europe's Doorstep

Angelina Jolie, our Special Envoy, travelled to Malta and met three people who risked everything to reach safety.

More people than ever before are risking their lives in search of safety - more than 207,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean since the start of January – almost three times the previous known high of about 70,000 in 2011, when the Libyan civil war was in full swing. For the first time, people from refugee-producing countries (mainly Syria and Eritrea) have in 2014 become a major component in this tragic flow, accounting for almost 50% of the total.

We have has received information of 4,272 reported deaths this year, this includes 3,419 on the Mediterranean – making it the deadliest route of all.

We are warning that the international community is losing its focus on saving lives amid confusion among coastal nations and regional blocs over how to respond to the growing number of people making risky sea journeys in search of asylum or migration.

Understand more: http://tracks.unhcr.org/2014/12/dange...

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