The Concept of 'Place of Safety' : Yet Another Self-Contained Maritime Rule or a Sustainable Solution to the Ever-Controversial Question of Where to Disembark Migrants Rescued at Sea?

• International law requires that everyone rescued at sea shall be disembarked and delivered to a ‘place of safety’. However, neither the treaties that establish this requirement nor any other treaty define what is meant by ‘place of safety’. When refugees and migrants are rescued at sea considerations of international human rights law and international refugee law as well as of international law against transnational organized crime are of principal concern. This article examines the concept of 'place of safety' and argues that it needs to be interpreted in the wider context of international law, so that other relevant and applicable rules of international law are taken into account. The article provides an exploratory discussion of the interpretation of the concept of 'place of safety', seen particularly against the background that many of those rescued at sea are refugees and migrants. The article also comprises discussions of the duty to rescue those in distress at sea, the basic rules on interpretation of treaties and the legal framework for rescue of migrants at sea. The analysis is illustrated by references to Australian legislation, state practice and case law.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik och samhälle (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law and Society (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

law of the sea

international refugee law

human rights

refugees

migrants

boat people

maritime search and rescue

rescue at sea

Australia

border control

coast guard

non-refoulement

havsrätt

flyktingrätt

mänskliga rättigheter

flyktingar

migranter

båtflyktingar

sjöräddning

Australien

gränskontroll

kustbevakning

folkrätt

Public International Law

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)