Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday launched a new campaign, named #WithHumanity, calling on Frontex, the European Union’s border and coast guard agency, to utilize its aerial surveillance capabilities to ensure prompt rescues of endangered vessels in the Mediterranean.

Frontex collaborates with EU member states’ border and coast guards to manage the Schengen Area’s borders. It aids EU and Schengen nations in border management, including on-ground support, combating cross-border crime, aerial surveillance, information gathering, return procedures and technology adoption.

Currently, Frontex alerts rescue coordination centers in EU member states, Libya, and Tunisia when detecting boats carrying asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in the Mediterranean. However, the agency does not consistently inform non-governmental rescue ships in the area or issue regular emergency alerts to mobilize nearby vessels. This lack of systematic alerts has resulted in interceptions by Libyan and Tunisian forces, leading to human rights abuses and shipwrecks.

In its new campaign HRW highlights instances where Frontex’s support, such as sharing coordinates of distressed vessels, has led to successful rescues. For instance, on October 14, 2023, a Frontex aircraft relayed the coordinates of a crowded inflatable raft via an open radio channel. It revisited the location to adjust the coordinates. Subsequently, the MSF rescue vessel Geo Barents successfully conducted a nighttime rescue operation, saving 64 individuals, including women and children.

HRW further urges Frontex to take concrete steps to save lives by transmitting distress locations to NGO-operated rescue ships, issuing more frequent emergency alerts, monitoring distress cases, and providing assistance when necessary.

The Mediterranean Sea has witnessed a rise in migrant fatalities, with over 30,500 deaths or disappearances reported in the last decade. The perilous journeys involve crossing treacherous terrains like the Sahara Desert and residing in countries with hazardous conditions, such as Libya. Through the new #WithHumanity campaign, HRW calls on the public to recognize the risks faced by migrants in the Mediterranean and advocate for action from authorities. The campaign aims to push the EU to abandon practices that shift responsibility to third countries where human rights violations occur, emphasizing the need for safe and legal routes to Europe.