Between 1 January 1993 and 3 January 2019, UNITED has documented more than 36.609 deaths that are published in this list from 1 April 2019 (see PDF). The list shows the places, times and circumstances under which refugees died.
UNITED for Intercultural Action collects “reliable data on refugee deaths related to Fortress Europe since 1993.” 11UNITED for Intercultural Action: About the ‘List of Deaths’, UNITED Against Refugee Deaths, http://unitedagainstrefugeedeaths.eu/about-the-campaign/about-the-united-list-of-deaths/ (26.01.2020). The list documents deaths of refugees on their flight, in internment and identification camps, during deportation or back in their countries of origin. Ther aim is to draw attention “to the role of our societies in protecting those who flee from war, persecution, poverty or natural disasters and highlights the serious flaws in our asylum and immigration systems that repeatedly threaten human dignity.” 22UNITED for Intercultural Action: Fortress Europe: Death by Policy, UNITED Against Refugee Deaths, http://unitedagainstrefugeedeaths.eu/about-the-campaign/about-the-united-list-of-deaths/ (26.01.2020).
Together with a big international network of organizations, journalists and researchers in the field of migration, UNITED has documented more than 36.609 deaths between 1 January 1993 and 3 January 2019. However, the exact number of refugees who died will remain unclear as a lot of them were and are not found. It is estimated that the amount of refugee deaths is three times as big as the documented number.
The list published here represents the status as of 1 April 2019.
The refugees who tell their stories in We Refugees Archive experienced the dangers on the flight through the Sahara and the Mediterranean. Their stories are stories of survival, but also of traumatic experiences that have an effect on the arrival in a – for the time being- safe place.
UNITED against refugee deaths: Fatal Policies against Europe, http://unitedagainstrefugeedeaths.eu/ (07.10.2019).
Mustapha F. came to Sicily from Gambia. He had to spend several months in different reception camps until he came to Palermo. Since then he has been going to school, learning Italian and, like many others, working part-time (often several jobs and usually without an employment contract).
Fatima D. goes to school and receives training as a musician at the conservatory. Her future dream is to become a singer and musician. Her wish came about through a spontaneous encounter with a drum teacher who saw her playing the djembé.
Emmanuel comes from Ghana and has lived in Palermo since 1992. In the 27 years he has worked in various professions. Emmanuel could no longer pursue his profession as an industrial mechanic in Palermo and took a job as a night watchman in a flower shop.
Marrie S. talks about what love in the form of solidarity, support, and rescue means to him.
This list documents a selection of names, “nationalities”, arrival dates and places of origin of refugees who arrived in Vilnius in 1939.
A Poem about the sea as a space of flight by Jehan Bseiso.
Yurdanus shares two recipes from her home country and tells her story of flight.
Fatima D. tells of her escape through the desert.
Benzion Benshalom tells of the harsh winter of 1939/40, which made life even harder for refugees in Vilnius and led to tragedies at the…