THE MISSED REFUGE: UNITED list of Refugee Deaths

UNITED is turning 30 this year, together with one of its most powerful initiatives: ‘Fatal Policies of Fortress Europe’ campaign.

This is an on-going campaign against the deadly consequences of the building of Fortress Europe. Since 1993 UNITED has in fact been diligently monitoring the fatal results of the policies summarized as the building of this Fortress, compiled in the so called ‘List of Refugee Deaths’, a powerful testament to the human cost of these cruel policies.

In the period 1993-2023 more than 52.760 deaths can be put down to border militarisation, asylum laws, detention policies and deportations. Most probably thousands more are never found. The fatal results already reach the daily headlines: bodies that surface on European shores, stowaways found in the back of a truck, or asylum seekers who kill themselves consequential to hard living conditions and depression for the long and lingering asylum claim decision.

Our mission is to awaken policymakers and show them the human toll of their decisions. We aim to raise awareness and challenge exclusionary EU policies and this year we want to renew our pledge once again.

We need to remind Europe and the world that the list exists as a failure to uphold Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most beautiful we have.

“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”

This right is the fortress we should protect, one of the victories of humanity against horror, stating as a universal and fundamental right the possibility to support and assist people in need and to give them refuge.

Nonetheless this right has been violated and neglected in the most awful ways and for this reason we want to use our campaign and our list to remind us all of the beauty of offering refuge, one of the most beautiful traits of humankind that has always favoured the building of fair societies.

This makes us incredibly grateful to all those who decide to support the campaign and the list and to share it with all their means.

So stay tuned to discover what the network does and what you can do and #stayunited!