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Tuesday, February 4

A Deadly Conflict
Irregular Migration and the Politics of Saving Lives in the Central Mediterranean
Time:
2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
Presenter:
Dr. Gemma Marolda
Location:
Posvar Hall 3800
Sponsored by:
European Studies Center along with Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) and Ford Institute for Human Security

Search and Rescue (SAR) missions in the Central Mediterranean continue to be the subject of extensive debate in Italy and in Europe, even as the number of sea arrivals have significantly declined. A multitude of actors engaged in rescuing migrants and refugees at sea has created an increasingly complex situation in the waters south of Sicily all the way to the Libyan coast. Based on previous and on-going research by Dr. Marolda and her Ford Institute working group, this lecture addresses the following questions: 1) What is the migration challenge Europe is facing in the Central Mediterranean? How have state and non-state actors responded to this challenge? 2) How have the EU’s and Italy’s migration policies and practices changed since October 3, 2013, when 368 migrants tragically lost their lives at sea off the coast of Lampedusa? 3) Why have NGOs rescuing migrants at sea been recently forbidden to dock to Italian ports? What has driven the EU and its member states to restrict NGOs’ operations at sea?