Responding to the second tragic incident this month, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council has said:

Just days after the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year, it is devastating that several more people have died this weekend. This is a desperate, ongoing human tragedy. Our thoughts and sympathies go to the victims and their loved ones, and our thanks to the search and rescue personnel involved.

It would be unforgivable to treat this frequency and scale of loss of life with a sense that it is inevitable. It is not. That men, women and children are dying as they seek sanctuary here should commit us to do everything possible to develop a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.

Enforcement alone is not the solution. People are being forced into the arms of smugglers because they are desperate, fleeing violence and persecution in countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan in search of safety. Smugglers will respond to tougher policing by making these refugees take bigger risks, with more perilous crossing points and more crowded boats.

No plan to reduce the need for dangerous crossings, and stop the conveyor belt of tragedy, will be effective if it ignores why people want to cross and ignores the need to improve access to safe routes for those seeking safety. Effective and humane pathways for those seeking refuge is what will help undermine the smugglers’ business model because it will reduce the need for dangerous crossings, and prevent further tragedies.

Improved safe routes would help deliver a fair, orderly and compassionate asylum system that prioritises human life and dignity.