The Alarm Phone project started in October 2014 and offers refugees and migrants in distress at sea an additional option to make their SOS noticeable. The alarm documents and mobilises in real-time, the hotline is available 24/7. In this way, pressure to rescue or against pushbacks is built-up, wherever possible and necessary. In 2015 the project was in contact with about 1200 boats, mainly in the aegean sea but also in the western and central mediterranean area.
The Alarm Phone is organized as self organized callcenter and carried out by about 120 activists from various backgrounds and cities. Many have been active in networks at the external borders of EU for many years. Some members have made their own personal experiences of crossing sea-borders in the past.
In the short-term, the project focuses on rescue missions and the prevention of human rights violations. The death of refugees and migrants at sea could already be a matter of the past if the border- and visa-regimes were dissolved. Insofar, the transnational project aims to create a Mediterranean space of mutual solidarity, with open borders for all people.
In the NoBorder 2016 workshop we want to share our practical experiences and also (re)discuss our political campaigns like Ferries not Frontex.
More information at https://alarmphone.org/en/