"LIFEBOAT - the Experiment" by Sea-Watch to Increase Awareness of the Tortuous Journey that Refugees Endure Crossing the Mediterranean

BERLIN, April 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Days on end, an inflatable boat journeys through large waves. Many of the passengers are seasick. They are unaware how long it will take to reach land, or if they ever will, and what might be awaiting them there if they do. Though it is practically invisible in terms of press coverage, this scenario remains an even deadlier reality in the Mediterranean. Over the course of the past year, while Europe prioritized immigration prevention over safeguarding human rights, refugee deaths quadrupled. In 2018 alone, 2,277 people died while attempting to flee. If that were not horrifying enough: According to the Sea-Watch requested YouGov survey*, 85% of the respondents were unaware of this fact. One of the main reasons for the lack of awareness regarding this issue is that the EU – a purportedly neutral observer in the Mediterranean – has been making it increasingly difficult to report about it.

In an attempt to increase awareness of the rising death toll at sea and the turn of events leading to them, Sea-Watch conducted an "experiment". Forty volunteers took part in a simulation of a voyage at sea, spending hours in an over-filled boat to really capture the reality of the physical discomfort and mental torment involved. The experiment was created in collaboration with real people who had survived this journey. The outcome: The film "Lifeboat – The Experiment" by Oscar-nominated director Skye Fitzgerald. [ www.lifeboatexperiment.org ]

LIFEBOAT – The Experiment

People are dying daily in the Mediterranean attempting to flee. As thousands lose their lives, European politicians watch callously while actively preventing civil sea rescue organizations from conducting rescue efforts.    

"The duty to carry out sea rescue is not only part of the law of the sea but is a basic human right and should simply be non-negotiable," exclaimed Michael Schwickart from Sea-Watch. He continued, "We are using 'LIFEBOAT – The Experiment' to raise awareness of the refugees' circumstances while attempting to flee, as well as posing the question if governments would still act in the same manner, refusing to help, if the passengers were privileged Europeans in need of sea rescue."