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States increasingly rely on bureaucratic measures to obstruct search and rescue, marking an evolution in the criminalisation of solidarity. This threatens humanitarian efforts, contravenes international obligations and places greater burdens on commercial shipping.

The disturbing number of deaths and disappearances at the Afghanistan-Iran border could be reduced through better international responsibility-sharing, holding Iran accountable for its immigration policies, and enhancing humanitarian services at the border.

Migrants travelling the Western Balkans route are subject to a multitude of risks. The EU and their partners in the region have a shared responsibility to protect those in vulnerable situations.

In December 2024, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean approved an update to the Cartagena Process, their regional framework for refugee protection. However, the new deal lacks concrete cooperation measures to address dangerous journeys.

In the Central Mediterranean, humanitarian rescue crews working to save lives do so under policies that make rescue a costly and potentially criminal act.

Protection activities on board the Ocean Viking respond to a wide range of needs. Based on a survivor-centred approach, these activities aim to promote safety, dignity and humanity.

Unaccompanied and separated migrant children face great risks to their safety, well-being and dignity. Yet there is too little awareness of the specific dangers they face, the reasons behind their separation or how to reduce such risks.

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly works to bring together governments, parliamentarians and civil society actors from across Europe to design and promote effective, humane policies to prevent migrant deaths and disappearances.

Can the international refugee protection system be reoriented in a way that enables the victims of persecution and violence to find safety in other States without risking their lives on hazardous routes?