The Course on Protecting the Human Rights of Migrants at Sea, and this underpinning Facilitator's Guide, has been developed for practitioners training national authorities in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region – and is likely to be of value to national authorities in other regions as well. Its main purpose is to strengthen the technical, analytical and operational capacities of migration officials to more effectively protect human rights in the maritime migration context. In addition to giving an overview of the international legal framework relevant to migrants at sea, the Course and this accompanying Guide cover the following: a review of the law relating to maritime zones and jurisdictional questions at sea; coastal State interception of migrant smuggling vessels and the human rights implications of “effective control”; and maritime search and rescue, including the duties to rescue, coordinate and disembark passengers to a “place of safety”.

This Facilitator’s Guide relies on a mixed methodology, linking lecture material with case studies and other activities to help officials explore and apply the law of the sea in practice.