HOW MANY DEATHS?

Submitted by ub on

An endless number of men, women and children have already perished. These refugees are forgotten victims of fatal ocean accidents, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

This Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.

It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 7,685 people in more than 125 countries continues to help some 33.9 million persons.

So we wondered how many sea deaths did it have to take for this earthshaking statement to be released? This US Coastguard photo best tells the sad story.

www.un.org