| Author (Person) | Jones, Katharine, McMahon, Simon |
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| Series Title | The Conversation |
| Series Details | 03.11.16 |
| Publication Date | 03/11/2016 |
| Content Type | Journal | Series | Blog |
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The MEDMIG project was led by the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham (UK), the University of Oxford (UK), ELIAMEP (Greece), FIERI (Italy), People for Change Foundation (Malta) and Yasar University (Turkey). It was part of the ‘Mediterranean Migration Research Programme’ which was established through the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) £1 million ‘Urgency Grant’, co-funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID). The MEDMIG Project launched its final report 'Destination Europe? Understanding the dynamics and drivers of Mediterranean migration in 2015' in November 2016. According to European leaders, it is smugglers operating within vast transnational criminal networks who are responsible for movements of millions to Europe and ultimately for the loss of life at sea. The answer, many have repeatedly said, is to 'smash the trafficking gangs' by increasing surveillance, arresting the 'ruthless traffickers' and engaging in military action at points of departure. Research by the authors as part of the MEDMIG Project, based on interviews with 500 refugees and migrants in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Malta, fundamentally challenges this approach. Rather than stopping migration and breaking the smuggler networks, it is the closure of borders within and beyond Europe that has increased both the demand and use of smugglers. |
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| Source Link | http://theconversation.com/as-long-as-people-are-pushed-to-flee-their-homes-for-europe-smuggling-networks-will-remain-a-necessity-67956 |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
