Pushing the Boundaries: Insights Into the EU’s Response to Mixed Migration on the Central Mediterranean Route

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) works with vulnerable migrants in Niger, Libya and Italy, along what has become known as the Central Mediterranean Route (CMR), which stretches from Sub-Saharan Africa to Italy via Libya. Providing humanitarian assistance to people on the basis of need, the IRC works with all people on the move, including refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants (all referred to in this report as ‘migrants’ unless otherwise specified), to provide emergency health care, cash support, information, and case management for particularly vulnerable people, including children and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). People moving along this route do so for a range of reasons. Whatever first drove them to leave, they are all ultimately exposed to significant risks on the journey, including exploitation and abuse at the hands of people smugglers and security services.

This report aims to draw greater attention to the humanitarian crisis facing people on the move along this route, and to offer insights into the impact of EU interventions on the situation they find themselves in.