About six weeks ago. Aicha, a 17-year-old teenage girl from Ivory Coast got into a small boat. With 58 others. Off the coast of Mauritania. [ Ссылка ] She had only told her sister of her dream, to go to Europe. The European dream became a nightmare. On the second day in the boat the water ran out. And the food. On the fourth day the petrol. Soon people started to scream for water.
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The only thing to drink, was sea water.
And then people started to die.
At first Aicha said prayers for the dead. After a while, there were no more prayers. Not even the strength, to put the dead bodies overboard.
We can only imagine the fear and terror as water and food ran out and one by one people died. The growing despair as time went by without land or ship in sight.
They stayed in that trauma for three weeks, until only three were left alive – barely, too weak to stand. When after three weeks at sea, on 26 April, a Spanish aircraft spotted the boat. 500 kilometres from land. And sent a helicopter to rescue Aicha. From what has been called “a mass grave in the middle of the sea”.
This is a tragedy. A European tragedy.
Like the nightmare experienced around the same time by 130 men, women and children. In a small rubber boat in six metre high waves in the Mediterranean. A European tragedy, with 130 people losing their lives.
Yesterday, at least 6,000 people from Morocco reached the city of Ceuta, a very substantial number of them children. The flow of these irregular arrivals continues as we speak. Many of them have been saved and one person died.
This is why we need to do everything to save lives. To prevent these extremely dangerous journeys. And why we need our New Pact on Migration and Asylum. To manage migration, to save people’s lives, to show solidarity with people in need. And with the countries concerned.
Like the 24 boats with 2100 people who arrived in Lampedusa last week in just two days. Out of these people at least 600 unaccompanied minors. I call on Member States to help these people. And the people being saved from the waves right now. To support Italy and to help with relocations. My services are reaching out to Member States as we speak. And I thank Ireland for being the first, to offer help.
Over 600 people died in the Mediterranean this year. We must fight the smugglers, who have blood on their hands.
They are organised criminals who take advantage, on an industrial scale, of vulnerable people in a pandemic.
Who deceive people with promises of easy entry to Europe. With lies about safe and comfortable crossings in big boats.
Who charge 3000 euro for a crossing. A life saving or a crippling loan.
And after cashing in, put 130 people into a small rubber boat in stormy weather. Or teenagers like Aicha onto a small boat on the Atlantic with little water and petrol. Knowing fully well, they won’t stand a chance.
Who beat people into the rubber boats if they don’t want to go.
Law enforcement supported by Europol is successfully disrupting smuggling networks in Europe, arresting criminals and pressing charges for murder.
But we must do more.
Finally, we have proposed a tailor-made binding mechanism on solidarity for Search and Rescue cases. It is crucial now to agree on the Pact.
Aicha cried when she saw the helicopter.
After 10 days in hospital. Corporal Juan Carlos Serrano, who saved her from the water invited Aicha to meet his family.
They welcomed Aicha with a big hug.
Offered to help her and invited her to stay.
And she says “it feels like I have found my family”.
Summer is coming.
There will be more stories like Aicha’s.
We need to work together. To fight smugglers. To save lives at sea. To get an agreement on the pact.
And as a society we must see people like Aicha with the same eyes as Juan Carlos Serrano.
A human being, like you and I who needs our help and support.
Before I finish, let me conclude on the unprecedented irregular arrivals to the city of Ceuta from Morocco since yesterday, which continue as we speak. It is worrying that at least 6,000 people, a big number of them children, have been swimming to Ceuta. Putting their life in danger. Many had to be rescued. One person died.
The most important thing now is that Morocco continues to commit to prevent irregular departures and that those that do not have the right to stay are orderly and effectively returned.
Spanish borders are European borders. The European Union wants to build a relationship with Morocco, based on trust and shared commitments. Migration is a key element in this regard.
I am following this very closely together with the High Representative Josep Borrell Commissioner Várhelyi and of course with the Spanish authorities.
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