Donate Now

Saving Lives at Sea

A Two-week Rescue Mission with SOS Mediterranee

Men dangle their legs off the side of an overcrowded rubber dinghy in international waters off Libya. October 11, 2017.

© 2017 ANTHONY JEAN

Keynote

 
Demonstrators carrying banners and placards take part in the Women's March next to the Eiffel Tower on the Parvis des Droits de l'Homme on January 21, 2017 in Paris, France.
The Pushback Against the Populist Challenge
Kenneth Roth
Former Executive Director

Essays

 
Portraits of Intersex people who attend the 2017 AIS-DSD Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on July 13, 2017.
Ending the Intersex Exception

People Born with Atypical Sex Characteristics Battle For Informed Consent

 
© 2018 Brian Stauffer for Human Rights Watch
“Soon There Won’t Be Much to Hide”

Transparency in the Apparel Industry

 
Illegal logging seized by IBAMA, Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. Amazon, Brazil.
Earth Matters

The Case for the Right to a Healthy Environment

Mediterranean SOS rescue ship
Men dangle their legs off the side of an overcrowded rubber dinghy in international waters off Libya. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
A child arrives on board the Aquarius. October 11, 2017.
A child arrives on board the Aquarius. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Women on board the Aquarius following their rescue in international waters off Libya. October 12, 2017.
Women on board the Aquarius following their rescue in international waters off Libya. October 12, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Adam, a 24-year-old from Sudan, on board the Aquarius. October 12, 2017.
Adam, a 24-year-old from Sudan, on board the Aquarius. October 12, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
A wooden boat carrying 29 people, mainly Syrians, just before their rescue and transfer to the Aquarius. October 10, 2017
A wooden boat carrying 29 people, mainly Syrians, just before their rescue and transfer to the Aquarius. October 10, 2017 © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
A young Syrian man who was traveling with his pregnant wife prepares to get on the SOS MEDITERRANEE speedboat for transfer to the Aquarius. October 10, 2017
A young Syrian man who was traveling with his pregnant wife prepares to get on the SOS MEDITERRANEE speedboat for transfer to the Aquarius. October 10, 2017 © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
SOS MEDITERRANEE crew mark the rubber dinghy with the search-and-rescue (SAR) case number and date.
SOS MEDITERRANEE crew mark the rubber dinghy with the search-and-rescue (SAR) case number and date. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Aquarius crew members help a man onto the ship after a rescue. October 11, 2017.
Aquarius crew members help a man onto the ship after a rescue. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
SOS MEDITERRANEE rescuer Dragos Nicolae puts a life jacket on a young child during a rescue operation in international waters off of Libya. October 11, 2017.
SOS MEDITERRANEE rescuer Dragos Nicolae puts a life jacket on a young child during a rescue operation in international waters off of Libya. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Two men hug following their rescue by SOS MEDITERRANEE. October 10, 2017.
Two men hug following their rescue by SOS MEDITERRANEE. October 10, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
A severely emaciated Somali woman is helped into the ship’s clinic. October 11, 2017.
A severely emaciated Somali woman is helped into the ship’s clinic. October 11, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Women and children sit in the “green room,” an indoor space leading to the women’s shelter. October 13, 2017.
Women and children sit in the “green room,” an indoor space leading to the women’s shelter. October 13, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Hanan, a Syrian woman, sits in the women’s shelter on board the Aquarius while children from her family and other Syrian families play. October 13, 2017.
Hanan, a Syrian woman, sits in the women’s shelter on board the Aquarius while children from her family and other Syrian families play. October 13, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
The MSF midwife examines a one-week old baby girl named Salimata, from Ivory Coast, rescued with her mother from an overcrowded rubber dinghy in international waters off Libya. October 10, 2017.
The MSF midwife examines a one-week old baby girl named Salimata, from Ivory Coast, rescued with her mother from an overcrowded rubber dinghy in international waters off Libya. October 10, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
People with medical conditions, including this man in a stretcher carried by Italian Red Cross workers, were the first to disembark the Aquarius in Palermo, Italy. October 13, 2017.
People with medical conditions, including this man in a stretcher carried by Italian Red Cross workers, were the first to disembark the Aquarius in Palermo, Italy. October 13, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN
Aquarius rescue and humanitarian crews commemorate the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy.
Aquarius rescue and humanitarian crews commemorate the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy, when at least 368 people died when their boat caught fire and broke apart in waters off the Italian island in the central Mediterranean. October 3, 2017. © 2017 ANTHONY JEAN

The Mediterranean is the deadliest migration route in the world, with over 15,000 deaths recorded since 2014. That so many are willing to risk their lives is a testament to their desperation and determination to escape persecution, violence, and hardship at home. Human Rights Watch researcher Judith Sunderland spent two weeks on board the rescue ship Aquarius, patrolling international waters near Libya, and talked with the crew about the European Union (EU) policies that prompted this Mediterranean mission.

© 2024 Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch | 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor | New York, NY 10118-3299 USA | t 1.212.290.4700

Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808