SAROBMED: The Search and Rescue Observatory for the Mediterranean is an international, multi-disciplinary consortium of researchers, civil society groups, and other organisations working in the field of cross-border maritime migration, either on the ground, or through advocacy, research and/or strategic litigation.
OUR MISSION
Migrant deaths are rising despite increased operational presence at sea. Proactive Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are being replaced by security missions by coastal states. Allegations of human rights violations against boat migrants and NGO vessels and personnel are multiplying and humanitarian assistance is being conflated with the crimes of smuggling and trafficking.
Currently no monitoring system exists for SAR and the measures adopted in this regard have been ineffective. Such scenario makes SAROBMED initiative all the more necessary, as our mission is to raise awareness among stakeholders, policy makers and the general public.
In order to carry out our mission, SAROBMED would set up an independent, research-led observatory of search and rescue (SAR) and interdiction incidents, through a secured digital environment for the collection, storage, exchange, and dissemination of reliable data regarding human rights violations in the Mediterranean.
OUR ORGANISATION
SAROBMED: The Search and Rescue Observatory for the Mediterranean is an international, multi-disciplinary consortium of independent researchers, civil society groups, and other organisations working in the field of cross-border maritime migration, either on the ground, or through advocacy, research and/or strategic litigation.
The key purpose of SAROBMED is to set up an independent, research-led observatory of search and rescue (SAR) and interdiction incidents, through the collection, analysis and dissemination of reliable data regarding human rights violations in the Mediterranean.
Members of the Observatory record and report incidents occurring at sea to the SAROBMED who processes, stores, and analyses the data. Analysing and systematising new data sources feeds into evidence-based research, tracking trends, identifying best practices, and fostering knowledge exchange between partners. This collaborative process supports cooperation, optimizing responses in cases of victimisation and/or prosecution of survivors and/or their helpers. NGO partners are also the main end-users of SAROBMED results, which support evidence-based advocacy, strategic litigation, and research-led lobbying and campaigning. Researchers, from their part, have the opportunity to gather and compile this new dataset, conduct ground-breaking, cross-disciplinary research, and impact realities beyond academia, helping to generate a counter-narrative challenging prevailing discourse and raising public awareness.
OUR VISION
SAROBMED’s mission is pursued through the four inter-dependent legs of the project:
- Data collection and dissemination of first-hand information of incidents occurring at sea published online
- Operational cooperation and coordination between members to maintain high-quality SAR
- Policy-relevant research and targeted advocacy action
- Strategic litigation of key cases to promote legal change