A/HRC/29/36 Precarious routes into the European Union and human rights 26. The use of precarious routes into the European Union, particularly through the central Mediterranean Sea, has increased dramatically since 2013 and resulted in largescale violations of the right to life, as well as significant human rights abuses at all stages of the migratory process. This form of migration is driven largely by conflict and poverty (push factors), as well as by unmet needs within European labour markets (pull factor). Many of these migrants are being forced to use precarious routes because of their desperate situation and a lack of regular migration opportunities. 27. Organized smuggling rings are profiting from this lack of regular migration channels, staying ahead of border control initiatives and facilitating crossings through precarious routes in exchange for large payments. Smugglers have displayed a remarkable disregard for the dignity, life and rights of migrants and have systematically exploited those desperate to reach safer soil. 28. Commonly, boats carrying migrants to the European Union leave from: Egypt and Libya when using central and eastern Mediterranean channels; Morocco and Tunisia when using the western Mediterranean; and Turkey when using the Aegean Sea route. Many migrants have come an extremely long way, including from sub-Saharan countries and countries in the Middle East, to make these journeys. Migrants travelling through the Sahara are subjected to horrific treatment, including rape and other forms of violence. 29. When migrants reach their intended country of departure, they often suffer further violations of their rights. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has published reports of makeshift camps with extremely poor conditions that are run by migrants in Morocco, as well as of migrants locked in small huts by smugglers in Turkey. Smugglers typically charge several thousand United States dollars per person for boat journeys to the European Union. Families with multiple members can pay in excess of US$ 10,000 to make the trip. 30. The boat trips themselves are perilous, involving very basic vessels that have limited navigation systems, are not seaworthy and often have insufficient amounts of food, water, fuel, first aid kits and life jackets. Boats are usually extremely overcrowded and sometimes contain more than double the recommended capacity. Once migrants have paid for the journeys, they are often forced to go ahead with their plans despite sometimes having second thoughts when seeing the vessels. Migrants have reported incidents of boats not having captains, with inexperienced migrants being required to navigate, as smugglers do not want to risk being caught by the authorities. 31. When smugglers are on the boats, incidents of sexual violence and slavery against women have been reported. The crossing from North Africa takes, on average, between one and three days, but can increase significantly depending on the boat and the maritime conditions. Many boats capsize or go into distress. 32. The search and rescue services provided unilaterally by Italy and FRONTEX are a response to these alarming trends (see appendix). In a report to the Special Rapporteur, the European Commission said that Operation Mare Nostrum had rescued over 160,000 persons at sea in 2014 and that Operation Triton was estimated to have rescued approximately 22,300 people between November 2014 and early 2015. In addition, some private and military vessels have saved migrants’ lives. However, as underlined by the International Maritime Organization, the support provided to search and rescue operations by merchant vessels should remain exceptional, and States should shoulder the main responsibility for such operations. 33. While positive efforts to protect migrants’ right to life have been made, they remain insufficient. Key challenges include Operation Triton’s limited mandate for effective search 7