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The Department of International Law delivered its first intensive course within the SEA-EU initiative between 19 and 23 April.

The course tackling irregular migration by sea and the human element of maritime security was opened with an introductory talk by Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino.

The course brought together over 25 participants from 5 of the 6 universities that form part of the SEA-EU alliance (Malta, Kiel, Gdansk, Split and Cadiz.

The programme was led by Prof. Patricia Vella de Fremeaux and Dr Felicity Attard, with the participation of Dr Jean-Pierre Gauci and Dr Maria Pisani (lecturers at the University of Malta), and Silja Klepp (Professor of Human Geography at Kiel University). 

The course commenced by looking at the human element of maritime security. It was noted that, contrary to other threats to maritime security, like drug smuggling, the subject of maritime migrant smuggling or trafficking is the individual not a commodity. Therefore, any action to prevent maritime migrant smuggling or trafficking must be human rights driven. 

In order to illustrate this point, the course covered the concept of irregular migration and search and rescue at sea, with the consequent ramifications on disembarkation and challenges that rescue at sea operations pose to commercial shipping. 

Crimes of migrant smuggling and trafficking in individuals by sea were also subsequently studied before assessing the state of play and the bigger picture, encompassing the entire experience of the migrants in their long and dangerous journey. A colloquium was held on the penultimate day of the course which addressed irregular migration by sea in the Mediterranean. The programme closed with an interactive element where participants were divided into groups and considered different case studies, with each group giving a presentation at the end of the day.

The course was very well-received and engendered lively debate throughout.