Refugee Week Event

23 June 2022, Wilberforce Institute, 15.00-17.00

‘Over the Sea to Safety: Refugees’ Sea Crossings’

As part of Refugee Week, BMC has teamed up with Wilberforce Institute to organise this seminar exploring refugees’ maritime experiences. Speakers include: Teghan Louis-Puttick (Sea Rescue Volunteer); Abdolhamid (Hull Refugee); Jeff Morgan (Honorary Research Fellow, Wilberforce Institute), Dr Nicholas Evans (History, University of Hull); Professor Vicki Squire (Politics, University of Warwick).

Over many millennia of human history, people have taken to the seas fleeing persecution. Such journeys have frequently been fraught with danger. For example, between 1975 and 1980, it is estimated that between 200 000 and 400 000 ‘boat people’ perished while escaping violence in Vietnam in small, often unseaworthy boats. Currently, the UNHCR argues that ‘Europe is living through a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions’: each year thousands of refugees attempt to reach Europe across the Mediterranean in flimsy vessels, with a high cost in lives; the English Channel has become the site of unfolding tragedy as refugees in inflatable boats seek to traverse the world’s busiest shipping lanes. In this seminar, organized by the University of Hull’s Wilberforce Institute and Blaydes Maritime Centre, our speakers will explore the past and present of refugees’ maritime experiences, considering testimony from the refugees themselves as well examining the factors which have impelled people to risk their lives at sea in search of a safe home.

Speakers include:
The event is free. Please register on EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/over-the-sea-to-safety-refugees-sea-crossings-tickets-347897339307