UK's anti-migrant policy increases fatal risks for migrants, rights groups warn

ANKARA

Human rights groups are warning that UK policy on stopping small boats from crossing the English Channel is leading to overcrowded dinghies on French beaches, significantly increasing the risk of crushing and suffocation, local media reported on Monday.

Groups monitoring the situation reported a growing number of deaths among refugees attempting to cross the Channel, according to The Guardian.

Non-governmental organizations have documented seven deaths across four incidents in just 16 days last month, marking the highest toll since small boat crossings began, the daily mentioned.

Rights groups are advocating for safe-passage policies, stressing that the heavy policing of French beaches to deter smugglers is exacerbating danger for refugees.

On July 28, a Syrian woman suffocated while in a dinghy, one of many deaths that organizations like Utopia 56 and Alarm Phone, which offer assistance to migrants, attribute to the UK's crackdown on small boats.

Utopia 56 supports displaced and homeless people in France, while Alarm Phone monitors distress calls in the Channel and the Mediterranean, relaying them to the Coastguard.

An Alarm Phone spokesperson reported that at least 62 individuals died had at the UK border since March 2023, following the latest UK-France agreement to "stop the boats."

Among these, 39 perished in sea crossing-related incidents, while eight were crushed to death in dinghies.

Despite increased patrols and cooperation between French and British authorities, many migrants continue to make the perilous journey in search of a better life.

In January 2023, former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said tackling the issue of small boats carrying irregular migrants across the English Channel from France was among the top five priorities of his government after more than 45,000 people reportedly used the route to enter the UK in 2022.

In November 2022, French and British officials signed an agreement to boost police patrols on beaches in northern France to stop people trying to cross the English Channel in small boats.

Additionally, in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in March last year, Sunak said the UK would pay France around £476 million ($588 million) over the next three years to help tackle channel crossings.