For most vacationers, the Mediterranean sea is a peaceful escape from life, but for migrants from Libya, it is nothing but a bode of fatality and a harsh hit of reality. 

Beneath the still and tranquil waters lie tens of damaged dinghies that once carried vulnerable migrants fleeing the terrors of war, seeking asylum and finding a second home. Libya’s civil warfare initially began in 2014, and only came to an end in the latter half of 2020. This war, which had scarred the country for over six years, has been nothing but a burden to Libyans.

The country tore down into bits, resulting in cataclysmic humanitarian crises in which thousands were displaced from their now dilapidated homes and required immediate aid. Even basic necessities such as shelter, food and water were deemed as privileges by them. Their home country being crippled by war, destitution and bloodshed left the entire population unprotected from the harm that was soon to come their way. 

As a result, more than 210,000 people travelled across the Mediterranean in 2014 itself, with the hopes of finding better living conditions in Italy’s migrant magnet island, Lampedusa. Out of this number, it is presumed that as many as 3,500 took their last breath amid the sea because of the harsh water conditions, motion sickness and drowning from the overcrowded, precarious vessels. This is the highest record of deaths at the sea, surpassing the number of both previous and following years. 

In these unseaworthy dhingies which the migrants are forced to flee in, they huddle together, their bodies pressed tightly against one another as if they are intertwined by a knot, seeking comfort and solace in their shared misery. They maintain this position for days while the pungent stench of unwashed bodies covered in sweat and vomit from the sea sickness lingers in the oppresively humid and moist air. 

The once welcoming warmth of the sea soon becomes a chilly, sharp breeze at dusk that doesn’t fail to send shivers down the spines of those huddled on the boats. Despite the migrants’ efforts in staying warm, their bodies tremble and teeth chatter with cold, with the brisk wind chilling them to the bone and icy sea water splashing on their bare, uncovered skin. The lively conversations between the passengers consoling one another is now just an eerie silence that is somehow palpable, broken only by the occasional sounds of choppy tides colliding with the deck.  

One such incident is of Rafiq, an Egyptian boy migrating from Libya, who sacrifised everything to seek shelter in Italy. He was one of the hundreds battling hypothermia in the midst of the menacing Mediterranean. “I am alone. I am 15 years old. If I die, please tell my family,” he conveyed to our team of aid workers, while stuttering in broken English. My heart broke as I heard the poor boy wail and weep in pain, while clenching his jacket in a despairing attempt to keep warm. 

This is the life of desperate asylum seekers who embark on perilous journeys in which life and death are two sides of the same coin. This is the life of people who leave behind everything they know and love because their homes constitute a larger threat than even the most dangerous sea in the world. This is the life of thousands of migrants from Libya fleeing to Italy. 

Unfortunately, the now right-winged dominated Italian government disackonwldges the plight of these migrants, labeling the majority of their journeys as “illegal departures” rather than the distressed calls for help they really are. Instead of providing a helping hand to the minority, the officials deter them, penalise humanitarian organisations that offer help at shore and establish diabolic and cruel policies that completely dehumanise them.  

“I want the camp to be closed immediately, and a naval blockade so that they can’t access the land,” states Attilio Lucia, a representative from the conversative League Party. He, like other Italians, believes that the government shouldn’t supply the refugees with their necessities as it compromises the citizens’ access to resources. 

The newly-appointed Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has a similar xenophobia towards migrants. She once stated that Italy should “repatriate migrants back to their countries and then sink the boats that rescued them.” Her barbaric anti-immigration sentiment and prejudice towards these needy asylum seekers is making it harder for NGOs to conduct refugee missions and save more lives. 

Another migrant, who already is taking refuge in one of Italy’s multiple migrant camps, is resilient to these derogatory comments that Italians authorities make about the minority. “No problem, let them say I come in an illegal way. They don’t know what happened but if they ask me.. they hear the main story… they will understand my pain,” she says, breaking down as she reminisces about the deadly journey.

These tragedies and ordeals that unfold at the water are nothing but a poignant reminder of the urgency of the ongoing crisis. We need an immigration system that is fair and empathetic towards these defenseless migrants, who want nothing more than shelter as a form of assurance that they can make it through alive. We need an immigration system that treats migrants not as mere numbers but as individuals with more stories to tell, new people to meet and more experiences to live. We need an immigration system in which borders are not barriers, but bridges, and the sea is not a cemetery, but a source of hope. 

I can’t help but ponder anymore: if we already bear witness to so many gut-wrenching stories of migrants having to leave their homes and loved ones, how many more lives must be shattered for us to finally put an end to the misery they face?