Professor Patricia Vella de Fremeaux, Head of the International Law Department, was recently invited to deliver a lecture at the University of Maine School of Law by Professor Charles H Norchi, Benjamin Thompson Professor of Law.
The topic of the intervention was ‘Maritime Migration and Search and Rescue’ wherein the applicable international law relating to maritime migration was discussed, with a special focus on the Mediterranean. It was delivered to the Human Rights class at the University.
The lecture dealt with the three overlapping branches of international law that converge in the area of maritime migration: the law of the sea, organised crime and human rights and humanitarian principles of protection. The interplay between these branches was discussed, as was the necessity of maintaining a balance between them.
The international law relating to maritime search and rescue was presented – highlighting the difficulties in the implementation of the law and the differing positions of relevant States in this area, leading to delays in disembarkations of rescuees and the higher risk of loss of life that such delays can cause.
The human element formed the subject of the second part of the lecture, with an emphasis on the fact that any international action taken with regard to maritime migration must have a human rights-centred focus.
There was a lively debate on human rights at sea issues, both during and after the lecture, followed by a closing intervention by Professor Norchi, thanking Professor Vella de Fremeaux for her lecture.
Patricia has contributed to a number of books on this and related subjects, published both in Malta and abroad, written several articles and presented on this topic. Her book ‘Migrant Smuggling by Sea: Combating a Current Threat to Maritime Security through the Creation of a Cooperative Framework’ was published by Martinus Nijhoff in 2010.
