Every day, six people die trying to cross the Mediterranean, which has become the world's deadliest sea following cuts in search-and-rescue, UNHCR is claiming.
Despite a major drop in the number of arrivals reaching European shores in 2018 when compared to the last five years, some 2,275 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean that year.
On routes from Libya to Europe, one person died at sea for every 14 who arrived in Europe – a sharp rise on 2017 levels.
Thousands more were returned to Libya where they faced appalling conditions inside detention centres.
According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, saving lives at sea is not a choice or a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation.
“We can put an end to these tragedies by having the courage and vision to look beyond the next boat, and adopt a long-term approach based on regional cooperation that places human life and dignity at its core,” he said as UNHCR released the latest ‘Desperate Journeys’ report.
The report flags shifts in policy by some European states that left large numbers of people stranded at sea for days, while NGO boats and their crews faced growing restrictions on their search-and-rescue operations.
For many, setting foot in Europe was the final stop of a nightmarish journey during which they had faced torture, rape and sexual assault, and the threat of being kidnapped and held for ransom, according to UNHCR.
From UNHCR's report called Desperate JourneysWhat will likely happen in 2019
Some of those currently in Libya, many of whom have likely been there for a year or more, along with some more recent arrivals may continue to try to leave. Some smugglers are adapting their methods by providing sturdier boats, more fuel and satellite phones, and sometimes escorting or carrying boats further from Libya so as to move beyond the area patrolled by the Libyan Coast Guard, the UNHCR said.
In the continued absence of a consistent and coordinated approach within the region to rescue at sea and subsequent disembarkation, rescues by NGO vessels, in particular in the Libyan SRR are likely to continue to be responded to on an ad hoc, case by case basis, according to UNHCR.
"As a result, there will be more situations in which often severely traumatised people are kept at sea for days while governments debate where they can be disembarked."
The high death rate is also likely to continue, given the worrying reduction in search and rescue capacity.
Malta, along with Lampedusa, may continue to receive an increase in direct arrivals.
Until the root causes and triggers of displacement and migration are addressed in many countries, people will continue to seek safety and protection, while others will try to escape poverty with the hope of finding work or educational opportunities.
For example, forced displacement from Mali, northern Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and western Niger could contribute to onward movement towards Europe via the Central or Western Mediterranean routes.
Children on the move
In Spain, unaccompanied children from Morocco, Guinea and Mali were frequently observed among the arrivals - around 5,500 unaccompanied children are thought to have reached the country last year.
Similar challenges were observed in Malta, where up to 20 per cent of those arriving by sea in the latter half of 2018 were unaccompanied children.
Children had to endure challenging reception conditions, with many sharing overcrowded accommodation with adults and being placed in detention-like facilities.
In 2018:
2,275 people died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean
139,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe - the lowest number in five years
Spain became the primary entry point to Europe as around 8,000 people arrived by land and a further 54,800 successfully crossed over the Mediterranean
The death toll for the western Mediterranean nearly quadrupled from 202 in 2017 to 777
Some 23,400 migrants arrived in Italy - a fivefold decrease from 2017
Greece received 32,500 people, compared to 30,000 in 2017