The recent BBC TWO documentary “Dead Calm: Killing in the Med” (http://bbc.com/news/articles/…) has brought to light the atrocities and acts of murder committed by the Greek Coast Guard in the Mediterranean in their effort to prevent irregular migrants from entering the country. This documentary serves as a warning to the youth in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond to avoid unsafe migration.
In my global role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons (2008 to 2014), I encountered numerous victims and impacted families. For instance, I met a young African woman in an Italian migrant detention centre who had lost two brothers while they were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.
Life is precious, and the sanctity of human life must be preserved and respected. We must not harm those in vulnerable situations seeking to escape for a better life as part of combating irregular migration. I hope the Government of Greece takes urgent action to prosecute perpetrators and that other favoured destination countries of the ‘West’ advance zero tolerance for such inhuman acts of pushing vulnerable migrants to their deaths in the seas.
As you leave your country for any reason, consider safe migration options. Avoid using migrant smugglers or falling prey to traffickers.
