“Protection Begins at Sea” Conference

On World Refugee Day, a strong call for protection starting at sea.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day 2025, the Malta Refugee Council organised a poignant and conference titled “Protection Begins at Sea”, as part of Refugee Week Malta.

African Media team stands with the #DontLetThemDrown campaign in calling for urgent action to save lives at sea Photo African Media. All rights reserved.

This event shed light on a disturbing reality: the Central Mediterranean migration route remains the deadliest in the world. Since 2014, nearly 25,000 people have lost their lives along this route, and already in 2025, at least 499 deaths or disappearances have been recorded at sea.

Despite this ongoing human tragedy, sea arrivals in Malta are at a historic low, with only 238 people landing in 2023. But this drop conceals a far more complex and troubling reality:

• Why do migrants continue to take such perilous routes?

• What happens when people in distress send an SOS at sea?

• Who is responsible for their rescue? Where are they disembarked?

• Why are Malta’s numbers so low when conflict and persecution continue around the world?

Speakers at the conference strongly emphasized a core message: refugee protection begins at sea.

These individuals embark on dangerous journeys in search of safety and dignity, risking everything they have. The Malta Refugee Council stressed that Malta has both a legal and moral duty to ensure that no one is left to die within its area of responsibility.

Beyond the grim statistics, the conference highlighted the urgent need to center humanity in migration policy. It called for a rejection of official narratives that obscure or sanitize the suffering endured by people on the move. Every unanswered SOS, every life abandoned at sea, is a shared failure.

A powerful call for citizen vigilance and mobilization was made: to question decisions made at sea, demand transparency and accountability, and defend the fundamental right to life and protection. This responsibility transcends borders, engaging civil society and transnational communities in the fight for a more just, humane, and solidarity-based system.

As part of the event, the conference featured two key panel discussions: The Status Quo – What is happening today? This panel examined current dynamics at sea, rescue operations (or their absence), and the shifting policies impacting the Central Mediterranean.

A Call to Action – How do we protect refugees at sea ? This session focused on solutions, including legal obligations, advocacy strategies, and coordinated efforts to ensure protection starts from the moment an SOS is sent.

The conference also aligned with the global campaign #DontLetThemDrown, urging governments and international actors to prioritize saving lives over restrictive migration policies. The hashtag encapsulates a growing international demand for concrete actions to end deaths at sea and to establish safe and legal pathways for people in need of protection.

In this context, African Media Association Malta had the opportunity to interview several refugees present at the conference, posing the crucial question: “What is your opinion on the criminalization of migration?” Their testimonials offer a raw and honest insight into the consequences of dehumanizing policies and enforcement practices faced by those fleeing violence and persecution.

Organised by the Malta Refugee Council, the event is a reminder that the struggle for human dignity begins at sea and does not end at borders.

As active member of the Malta Refugee Council, African Media Association Malta reaffirms its commitment to amplifying migrant voices, challenging injustice, and advocating for an inclusive, aware, and humane society.