There are daily reminders of the immense peril that often accompanies the crossing of international borders by refugees and asylum seekers, with data from the International Organization for Migration revealing that there were 16,300 deaths during such journeys between January 2014 and December 2018.

New research from Dartmouth College highlights that these deaths are not occurring at random, but are instead occurring in clusters that reflect the clear and distinct patterns of space and time that the researchers believe could, and should, be better addressed by humanitarian interventions.

The researchers mapped the countries and locations where deaths occurred among forced migrants and found that there were 12 distinct spatial-temporal clusters.  These clusters were often located near to national borders, conflict intensities and were often along migration routes.

Foremost among these were deaths at sea, which accounted for up to 54% of all deaths across the five-year study period.  The crossing between the United States and Mexico was also identified as highly dangerous, particularly on the American side of the border.  This was the only region that made the list in each of the five years, and saw a shocking 1,400 deaths in total.

Perilous travel

“The places where forced migrant deaths are occurring are not exactly making it into the news,” the researchers say. “In addition to the U.S. and Mexico, Libya, Sudan, Mozambique, Uganda, and Malaysia also made the list of locations on land with the highest number of forced migrant deaths.”

The researchers urge their findings to be paired with real-time analysis of migration patterns to better understand where migrants are putting their life into such risk.  This would allow better responses to avoid this humanitarian catastrophe.

The team also highlight that their work is but an introduction, and more research is required to fully understand the perilous journeys migrants are so often taking.  Nonetheless, they believe their work demonstrates how during periods of conflict, there is a clear need for humanitarian assistance on a global scale, including search and rescue operations that could save thousands of lives.