Human Rights Migration Memorial Day in Lampedusa: Demonstration in the streets of Lampedusa
Human rights organization calls for concrete measures from the next Austrian government: Safe routes, legal certainty, humanitarian reception, and strengthening democratic participation.
Vienna/Lampedusa, October 3, 2024. For eleven years, October 3 has been observed as a memorial day on Lampedusa. In 2013, 368 people drowned off the coast of the Italian Mediterranean island while attempting to reach Europe. The joint commemoration has always symbolized solidarity in migration policy and opposition to deaths in the Mediterranean. “Today symbolizes the urgent need for a humane migration policy. Populism and empty promises help no one,” says Südwind migration expert Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl during the commemoration on the Mediterranean island. The human rights organization Südwind calls on the next Austrian government to take concrete steps to end the inhumane conditions at the EU’s external borders and to include a migration policy based on human rights in the next government program.
The core areas of Südwind’s demands are: safe, legal escape routes and the fight against the causes of flight, serious asylum procedures and legal certainty, as well as social and political participation within Austria.
Humanitarian Reception, Fight Against Causes of Flight Flight is often the last resort for people in desperate situations and should not be criminalized. Articles 13 and 14 of the Human Rights Convention also guarantee the right to mobility and protection from persecution. Safe, legal escape routes can be created through humanitarian reception programs. The so-called resettlement programs for particularly vulnerable groups have also been a success story in Austria. Südwind calls for their resumption and inclusion in the next government program.
A major failure of the last government was the announcement to combat the causes of flight and provide help on the ground. Südwind expert Grasgruber-Kerl: “If the next government is serious about combating the causes of flight, it must strengthen development cooperation and climate protection, as well as commit to more justice in economic policy with transparent, humane working conditions along global supply chains.”
Furthermore, full solidarity and support for sea rescue are needed. “During the commemoration on Lampedusa, fishermen and community residents tell how they naturally became sea rescuers on October 3, 2013, and saved 155 people with their own hands on their fishing and excursion boats. The next government must uphold sea rescue!” says Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl.
Serious Asylum Procedures, Secured Legal Advice Südwind calls for high-quality asylum procedures that meet the necessary legal protection standards. The next government is required to ensure independent legal advice for asylum seekers. “Inhumane conditions for innocent protection seekers must end! Protection seekers have rights and a claim to assert them. This basic principle must always apply,” demands Grasgruber-Kerl.
Integration Through Participation Successful integration requires knowledge of the social and political structures of the host country. At the same time, there needs to be awareness of the special needs of migrants by Austrian authorities. Südwind calls on the next government to strengthen the social and political participation of refugees and migrants and to create more space for exchange.
“For peaceful, democratic societies to function, people must be able to participate in decision-making processes about their political and social environment. Politics must create the framework for this and take the needs of migrants seriously,” says Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl. Educational opportunities for young people should be created during the asylum process, integration into the labor market should be accelerated, and the high financial hurdles to acquiring citizenship should be reduced. Furthermore, voting rights for permanent residents should be demanded at least at the municipal level. Until this is fully implemented, politics must create alternative participation opportunities, such as the model of the Migrant Advisory Board in Graz and innovative participation formats, such as e-participation portals.
Solidarity on Lampedusa Memorial Day On October 3, hundreds of people commemorated the victims of the boat disaster in a touching ceremony on Lampedusa. At the “New Hope” monument, a commemoration took place at the time of the disaster at 3 AM, where the names of all the victims were read out. In the morning, a demonstration for humane and solidarity-based migration policy followed at the Portal of Europe directly on the coast, followed by a boat procession where wreaths were laid in the sea at the coordinates of the shipwreck. The memorial day is organized by representatives from politics and civil society together with the local population and European border communities and NGOs. The Austrian human rights organization Südwind participated in the commemoration and demonstration on-site.
Contact Information: Vincent Sufiyan Head of Communications Tel.: 0650 96 77577 Email: vincent.sufiyan@suedwind.at
This press release within the framework of the EMVI-LII project is funded by the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund of the European Union. The content solely represents the opinion of Südwind and is their sole responsibility. The European Commission assumes no responsibility for the use of the information contained therein. The Südwind project EMV-LII (Empowering Migrants’ Voices on Local Integration and Inclusion) strengthens the political participation of migrants and supports local and regional authorities and institutions in creating and implementing local integration strategies with the participation of migrants. At the international level, Südwind networks with inclusion-promoting initiatives across Europe to strengthen the exchange of experiences about migrant advisory boards and democratic participation.
