report - Caminando Fronteras

Report reconstructing the tragedy on 6 February 2014 and compiling witness accounts

20 March, 2023 by nodocomun

Today, Ca-minando Fronteras published its report on the tragedy on 6 February 2014, which aims to reconstruct the events and compile witness accounts.

The report presents the stories of survivors and victims and reconstructs the tragedy as reliably as possible, supporting other investigations that are being carried out by the authorities and civil society organisations.

It contains accounts from the people who attempted to reach Tarajal Beach on 6 February 2014. Their personal details have been omitted but can be supplied upon request from the judicial authorities if they are needed to clarify the events that took place.

The report is not intended to determine individual liability, but instead to recount the stories we have been told and to identify the victims.

Read the report here:

Español: Informe Tarajal Marzo – 2014 -SN–2

Francés: Informe Tarajal Francés Marzo – 2014 -SN- copia

Beyond Borders

20 March, 2023 by nodocomun

They say so themselves: this is a war. Ndeubi Marie used this vocabulary as she called for justice for her son Larios, who was killed in the “battle” at Tarajal on 6 February 2014. Still deeply traumatised, her only wish was to see where Larios’s remains lay and take his ashes back home so that she could organise a decent funeral for him.

The growing militarisation of the Spanish borders is given names and faces in the report ‘Beyond Borders’, whose main strength lies in its focus on first-hand statements from victims. As the researchers at Ca-minando Fronteras explain, their work is based on the idea that “people on the move are the active subjects”. Unlike the usual narratives surrounding migration on the European side of the border, which view migrants solely through the lens of stereotypes relating to “victimisation and objectification” or criminalise them directly, this report gives a voice to the people suffering through this ignominious era.

Drawing on data from September 2015 to December 2016, the report paints a picture of the people attempting to enter Europe via the southern border with Spain or finding themselves blocked by the border. The migrant people who recount their odyssey in these pages come from 15 African countries and told their stories in a dozen places where they have waited and suffered for days, if not years: the woods surrounding Nador, Bel Younech, Fnideq, Boukhalef, Mesnana, and many more.

Desalambre Award from Eldiario.es to the best documentation work for the report “Monitoring the right to the life in the Euro-African Western Border” by Ca-Minando Fronteras

3 April, 202317 February, 2023 by Erika Guilabert

On Thursday, 16 February 2023, the IV Desalambre Awards gala was held in Madrid. These awards, organised by Eldiario.es, recognise the work of activists, organisations and journalists committed to defending human rights. The work of Ca-Minando Fronteras was awarded in the category of best documentation work for the report “Monitoring the right to life on the Euro-African Western Border”.

This report carried out within the framework of our Human Rights Observatory since 2015, is considered the most reliable source for counting the number of people killed and missing on the way to Europe, especially on the maritime routes. During the awards ceremony, the head of the Desalambre section at Eldiario.es, Gabriela Sánchez, highlighted the high quality of the data provided by the group, which has become the best reference for the media when it comes to reporting on the tragedies and violations of rights occurring at the border.

Our colleagues Helena Maleno, Lucas Vaquero and Erika Guilabert accepted the award, thanking everyone who made it possible to compile such valuable information. In our speech, we had words for the families who do not give up in the search for their loved ones; the communities on the move who show us the reality of life on the frontiers of death; the victims themselves, whose memory inspires our struggle; and the compañeras who have been part of our network at some point over the last 20 years.

Thank you to all of them and to all of you who are always there. This award is also yours.

Watch the video of the award ceremony and Helena Maleno’s full speech.

If you want to know the rest of the winners, you can see the news on Eldiario.es.

Our report ‘Victims of the Necrofrontier 2018-2022’ is presented in Barcelona (19/12) and Pamplona (21/12)

27 March, 202318 December, 2022 by caminandofronteras

The report summarises the last five years of work by our Observatory of Human Rights on the Western Euro-African Border.

At the end of each year, Ca-minando Fronteras takes stock of the current situation for migrants. We publish an annual report containing data on the victims of migration policies during that year: people who have gone missing or died while migrating to Europe, boats that have capsized, countries of origin and routes where hundreds of people are lost forever. In 2022, we decided to adopt a slightly different perspective. We published an update on the numbers of victims of the western Euro-African border between 2018 and 2022 (up to 30 November 2022) and conducted a diachronic analysis that reveals the impacts of contemporary necropolitics.

The ‘Victims of the Necrofrontier 2018-2022’ report will be presented at two events: the first will be held in Barcelona on 19 December and the second in Pamplona on 21 December.

Voces desde la Frontera, en el Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona

Presentación internacional del informe ‘Víctimas de la necrofrontera 2018-2022’: un abordaje cuantitativo de los datos recabados por nuestro Observatorio de Derechos Humanos en los últimos cinco años, así como de un análisis cualitativo del efecto de las políticas migratorias contemporáneas en las personas migrantes y sus familiares. Con la participación de Helena Maleno (fundadora de Ca-minando Fronteras), Soda Niasse (activista por los derechos humanos) y Oussman Ba (responsable del equipo psicosocial de la Delegación Diocesana de Migraciones). Modera la investigadora Blanca Garcés.

Cuándo: 19 de diciembre de 2022, 18:30h

Dónde: CCCB, Barcelona. Carrer de Montealegre, 5.

Extra: Habrá streaming con traducción simultánea en castellano y catalán.

Voces desde la frontera. Presentación del informe Víctimas de la necrofrontera 2018-2022. — Más información en la web del CCCB: Voces de la frontera

Víctimas de la necrofrontera 2018-2022. Por la memoria y la justicia, en el Centro Cultural Fundación Caja Navarra de Pamplona

«¿Cuáles son las cifras que perpetúan las muertes en la frontera y cuáles son las que sirven para defender la vida? La observación de la realidad en la Frontera Occidental Euroafricana no es neutra y quienes se acercan al conocimiento desde una perspectiva de defensa de la vida se encuentran inmediatamente con los derechos de las víctimas y sus familias», explicamos en el informe para dar cuenta de la importancia de contar a las víctimas de las fronteras con herramientas cuantitativas y cualitativas.

Compartiremos el informe en un diálogo con las organizaciones SOS Racismo Nafarroa y Ongi Etorri Errefuxiatuak y debatiremos sobre Frontera Sur, Frontera Norte, racismo y necropolítica. Participan Helena Maleno (fundadora de Ca-minando Fronteras), Maite Santamaría (Ongi Etorri Errefuxiatuak) y Beatriz Villahizán (SOS Racismo Nafarroa).

Cuándo: 21 de diciembre de 2022, 18:00h.

Dónde: CIVICAN, Pamplona. Av. de Pío XII, 2.

Extra: Nuestra compañera Helena Maleno estará presente en una rueda de prensa que tendrá lugar en la mañana, previa a la presentación del informe. Lugar y hora por confirmar.

Presentación informe Víctimas de la necrofrontera 2018-2022. Por la memoria y la justicia.

Read the full report here: Victims of the necrofrontier 2018-2022. For memory and justice..

Are you looking for a relative or a friend who has gone missing while attempting to migrate? If so, you can contact us here.