Saving migrants' lives at sea: Improving search and rescue operations

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kosmas, Vasileios; Acciaro, Michele; Besiou, Maria
• 署名单位: Kuhne Logistics University; Copenhagen Business School
• 刊物名称: PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1059-1478
• DOI: 10.1111/poms.13653
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 1872-1889
• 关键词: humanitarian operations; decision-making; or/ms research; management; location; SYSTEM

摘要

The present study focuses on the Mediterranean Sea migration crisis and investigates the effectiveness of search and rescue (SAR) operations alongside measures to reduce the number of deaths of migrants at sea. It also describes the stakeholders involved in SAR activities. The paper first analyzes secondary data and the results of 24 in-depth interviews in order to develop an analytical framework, which is then complemented by a system dynamics model to explore the complexity and interactions among stakeholders in SAR operations. The study shows that the death toll at sea can be reduced by enhancing cooperation among stakeholders by providing legal migration pathways under certain conditions and by engaging in more effective migrant detection and interception at sea. Lastly, raising potential migrants' awareness about the risk of death during the sea crossing should be seen as an additional measure, while SAR activities should be maintained to prevent loss of life at sea.