The impact of COVID-related emergency measures on the human rights and human security of migrants in Italy and Malta in the context of the Central Mediterranean Route

Abstract

This paper analyses the consequences of COVID-related emergency legislation enacted in Italy and Malta for irregular and undocumented migrants as well as refugees. The study focuses on two issues: (i) identifying key emergency laws in Italy and Malta; and (ii) assessing their impact on these migrants’ human rights and human security. Many states, including those in the Mediterranean, have securitized their pandemic response. The context of pre-existing legal, political and social-economic structures Italy and Malta is essential to understand the implications of these measures for these migrants. The paper suggests that Italy and Malta implemented emergency measures which were not specifically aimed at irregular migrants, yet had a significant impact on their human security and human rights. It also argues that in parallel, Italy and Malta targeted specific measures to limit migratory movements. These included: the closure of ports, restrictions on the work of humanitarian NGOs along the Central Mediterranean Route, pushbacks and ‘pull backs’, and detention at sea, leading to human rights violations and unsafe conditions. Finally, the paper also argues that the latter emergency measures were used as a tool to press for greater solidarity from the EU partners and influence EU’s policy-making on migration controls. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for inclusive and rights-based approaches to crisis management.