Interesting idea. Are you trying to evaluate how cost-effective they have been historically, or how cost-effective they might be in the future with additional funding? Presumably they latter will be lower, due to mean reversion. Additionally, the easiest to save people will probably already have been saved, leaving people who are more difficult to access.
I thought the two other comments about downsides were interesting (incentivising a larger number and more risky crossings, and negative reactions from people in Europe), but it seems that there is an easy solution—they could return the rescued people to Africa, instead of taking them to Europe. This would mean the incentives to attempt the journey were not increased, and European voters should also be happier.
Sea rescue conventions and international human rights law: People rescued at sea must be brought to a safe place, and African countries clearly disqualify (at least they say so about Tunisia and Libya)
African countries refuse to accept the rescued people, at least Tunisia did that repeatedly
African countries not having a procedure for taking asylum seekers, at least Tunisia doesn’t
In Lybia they’d be put in detention centers where they’d lose their money and will return to the Mediterranean again afterwards
Thanks for the hyperlink! I’m a bit surprised at the argument that these countries are not safe. Obviously all places have some risk, but both Tunisia and Libya have much lower murder rates than the US does, and I wouldn’t accept ‘it is too dangerous here’ as a reason for why the US shouldn’t take refugees.
Hm, I’m surprised you’re surprised. It’s noteworthy and sad that the murder rate in the US is so high. I’d also guess the overall murder rate is not representative of the safety of refugees, and the murder rates might be underestimations in countries like Libya, a country that is literally in a civil war right now. Have you read the FAQ? Quoting:
Libya is known as a “failed state”, particularly since the start of the civil war. The German Federal Foreign Office writes (as of March 2019) of Libya: “The population and foreign refugees and migrants suffer criminality, kidnappings, irregular detention, arbitrary executions, torture and oppression of freedom of speech by the various actors due to the prevailing lack of rights.”
I unfortunately haven’t found numbers when googling “murder rates in refugee camps”, but here some more quotes from a DW article last year that gave me a strong impression that those places clearly are not safe:
According to Amnesty, the already calamitous conditions in Libyan camps worsened since the outbreak of fighting in early April; those detained were caught between the warring fronts and were left without food for days. On July 3, more than 50 refugees and migrants were killed during an airstrike on the Tajoura prison camp in Tripoli.
According to Julien Raickmann, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Libya, people in the camps continue to die from hunger and disease and the situation is “catastrophic.”
Amnesty has reported instances of torture, serious violence and exploitation — including through sexual means — and forced labor. Amnesty also documented cases of people being murdered while trying to escape. Primarily, however, militias and traffickers are using refugees to make money by threatening them with violence or death — in some cases by making torture videos to send to their families.
Interesting idea. Are you trying to evaluate how cost-effective they have been historically, or how cost-effective they might be in the future with additional funding? Presumably they latter will be lower, due to mean reversion. Additionally, the easiest to save people will probably already have been saved, leaving people who are more difficult to access.
I thought the two other comments about downsides were interesting (incentivising a larger number and more risky crossings, and negative reactions from people in Europe), but it seems that there is an easy solution—they could return the rescued people to Africa, instead of taking them to Europe. This would mean the incentives to attempt the journey were not increased, and European voters should also be happier.
Just skimmed the FAQ from the discussed organization about returning rescued people to Africa:
Sea rescue conventions and international human rights law: People rescued at sea must be brought to a safe place, and African countries clearly disqualify (at least they say so about Tunisia and Libya)
African countries refuse to accept the rescued people, at least Tunisia did that repeatedly
African countries not having a procedure for taking asylum seekers, at least Tunisia doesn’t
In Lybia they’d be put in detention centers where they’d lose their money and will return to the Mediterranean again afterwards
Thanks for the hyperlink! I’m a bit surprised at the argument that these countries are not safe. Obviously all places have some risk, but both Tunisia and Libya have much lower murder rates than the US does, and I wouldn’t accept ‘it is too dangerous here’ as a reason for why the US shouldn’t take refugees.
Hm, I’m surprised you’re surprised. It’s noteworthy and sad that the murder rate in the US is so high. I’d also guess the overall murder rate is not representative of the safety of refugees, and the murder rates might be underestimations in countries like Libya, a country that is literally in a civil war right now. Have you read the FAQ? Quoting:
I unfortunately haven’t found numbers when googling “murder rates in refugee camps”, but here some more quotes from a DW article last year that gave me a strong impression that those places clearly are not safe: