Over the past decade, more than a third of migrant deaths for which a country of origin can be identified were from countries in conflict or with large refugee populations, according to a new report released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
The report “A Decade of Documenting Migrant Deaths”, highlighting the dangers faced by those trying to escape conflict zones without safe passage, said that information on the identities of missing migrants is very incomplete, as it was found that there are a large number of unidentified deaths.
“More than two-thirds of migrants whose deaths are documented remain unidentified, leaving families and communities to struggle with the loss of their loved ones,” it said, stressing the need for better coordinated data collection and identification processes.
Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations stated:
“Despite the many lost lives whose identities remain unknown, we know that around 5,500 women died on migration routes during the last ten years, and the number of identified children is around 3,500”.
According to the report, more than 64,000 deaths and disappearances have been documented over the past ten years, and more deaths will be recorded in 2023 than in any previous year.
“These figures demonstrate the urgent need for enhanced search and rescue capacities, enabling safe, regular migration routes and evidence-based action to prevent further loss of life,” it said.
