The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] announced in its report called "Desperate Journeys" that the Mediterranean is the world's deadliest route for refugees.

Refugees and migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea lost their lives at an alarming rate in 2018, as cuts in search and rescue operations reinforced its position as the world’s deadliest sea crossing.

The latest ‘Desperate Journeys’ report, released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, says six lives were lost on average every day.

An estimated 2,275 died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean in 2018, despite a major drop in the number of arrivals reaching European shores. In total, 139,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe, the lowest number in five years.

"Saving lives at sea is not a choice, nor a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation," said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The report describes how shifts in policy by some European States saw numerous incidents where large numbers of people were left stranded at sea for days on end, waiting for permission to dock.

NGO boats and their crews faced growing restrictions on their search and rescue operations.

On routes from Libya to Europe, one person died at sea for every 14 who arrived in Europe – a sharp rise on 2017 levels.

Thousands more were returned to Libya where they faced appalling conditions inside detention centers.

For many, setting foot in Europe was the final stop of a nightmarish journey on which they had faced torture, rape and sexual assault, and the threat of being kidnapped and held for ransom," the report said.

UNHCR also called on the states to take urgent action to dismantle smuggling networks and bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

The report also reveals significant changes in the routes being used by refugees and migrants.

For the first time in recent years, Spain became the primary entry point to Europe as around 6,800 arrived by land (through the enclaves in Ceuta and Melilla) and a further 58,600 people successfully crossed over the perilous Western Mediterranean.

As a result, the death toll for the western Mediterranean nearly quadrupled from 202 in 2017 to 777. Some 23,400 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy in 2018, a fivefold decrease compared to the previous year.

Greece received a similar number of sea arrivals, some 32,500 compared to 30,000 in 2017, but saw a near threefold increase in the number of people arriving via its land border with Turkiye.

ILKHA