Rescue at sea, stowaways and maritime interception

2nd edition. The phenomenon of people taking to the seas in search of safety, refuge, or simply better economic conditions is not new. The mass exodus from Vietnam throughout the 1980s was followed in the 1990s by large-scale departures from Albania, Cuba and Haiti. More recently, international attention has focused on the movement of Somalis and Ethiopians across the Gulf of Aden, increasing numbers of sea arrivals in Australia, and the outflow of people from North Africa to Europe in the aftermath of the Libya crisis. But beyond these situations, irregular maritime movements are a reality in all regions of the world and raise a number of specific protection challenges, notably in the context of rescue at sea, stowaway incidents and maritime interception. Most irregular maritime movements today are "mixed movements", involving people with various profiles and needs, as opposed to being primarily refugee outflows. However, almost all of these movements include at least some refugees, asylum-seekers or other people of concern to UNHCR.