Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |
2023 has been counted the deadliest year for migrants in a decade since 2014 -at least 8,565 people died on migration routes worldwide 20% up than of 2022.
At least 8,565 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023, making it the deadliest year since records began a decade ago, notified by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday.“
The death toll in 2023 represents a tragic increase of 20% compared to the previous year 2022, highlighting the urgent need for action to prevent further loss of life,” the IOM said in a released statement.
Last year's death toll surpassed the previous record of 8,084 in 2016.
The IOM said, “Hundreds of thousands of people attempt to migrate every year via irregular and dangerous migrant routes in unsafe conditions. And the continuous crossing of the Mediterranean Ocean persist the deadliest route for the migrants with at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances registered last year.“
As we mark the Missing Migrants Project’s 10 years, we first remember all these lives lost,” said IOM deputy director general Ugochi Daniels.
“Every single one of them is a terrible human tragedy that reverberates through families and communities for years to come."
“These horrifying figures collected by the Missing Migrants Project are also a reminder that we must recommit to greater action that can ensure safe migration for all, so that 10 years from now, people aren’t having to risk their lives in search of a better one.”
The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project was established in 2014 as an open-access database on migrant deaths and disappearances, since documented more than 63,000 cases worldwide possibly be much higher due to challenges in data collection, particularly in remote locations.
Not only that, a high number of 1,866 of migrant deaths were recorded across Africa and 2,138 across Asia in 2023.
In Africa, many of them happened in the Sahara Desert and the sea route to Spain's Canary Islands.
In Asia, a large number of Rohingya and Afghan refugees lost their lives.
Drowning showcases the slightly over half of the total migrant deaths in 2023, according to the report.
Whereas 9% of the deaths were caused by vehicle accidents and 7% happened because of the violence.
So far,512 migrants have already lost their lives this year.
