A prevention approach to undocumented forms of migration across the Mediterranean Sea: a critical assessment from Italy

This article is aimed at providing a solid empirical basis which can inspire the development of more informed strategies in the field of prevention of undocumented forms of migration across the Mediterranean. By engaging with current debate on undocumented forms of migration in the Mediterranean, the analysis addresses the various stages of undocumented journeys, i.e. from the decision to leave, to the role of border crossing facilitators, the stay in Libya, the sea crossing and the arrival in Europe. Rather than separately addressing each of these issues, the choice made was to ask research participants to reconstruct the entire trajectory that led them from their country of origin to Italy, sometimes even through other European countries, by emphasizing the subjective experience of our interviewees. This approach was based on the consideration that, although it is fundamental to know in detail how the different segments that make up the contemporary migratory experience across the lethal border of the Mediterranean work, it is equally important to consider migrants as the main agents of the migratory process as a whole, despite the intensification of policies that try to hinder their movement. Hence, the institutional perspective and view of the phenomenon – as reflected in interviews carried out with judges and police officers involved in anti-smuggling operations in Italy – was contrasted with the biographical experience of the migrants engaged in our research, since their views are often underrepresented in the public debate.