Valeria Mongelli

In the 28 hours between 17 and 18 October 2021, the humanitarian ship Sea-Watch 3 rescued 412 migrants from seven different boats in distress in the central Mediterranean, just a few miles off the Libyan coast. Many of them were women, children, and teenagers fleeing the tortures of Libyan detention centers. During one of the rescues, the dinghy started losing air and suddenly deflated, causing dozens of people to fall into the water. The crew of Sea-Watch 3 managed to get everyone to safety before the Libyan coast guard arrived on the scene. This is fortuitous, as 2021 has been the deadliest year in the central Mediterranean since 2018. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 23,368 people have been reported missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014. Frontex, the European Union's coastguard and border guard agency, recorded 6,240 illegal entries from the central Mediterranean in the first 10 months of 2021, 186% more than in 2019. Recently, Frontex's role in managing migration flows has been heavily criticized. International investigative inquiries (Der Spiegel, Bellingcat) suggest that Frontex violates international maritime laws and actively participates in migrant pushbacks in cooperation with the Libyan coastguard. In 2021, EU funding to Frontex increased by 49% compared to 2020. NGOs working in the Mediterranean, including Sea-Watch, are calling for these funds to be diverted to an EU-coordinated rescue program in the Mediterranean. At stake are the lives of thousands of people who keep trying their chance at sea, risking their lives at the gates of Europe. Different versions of this story have been published in El País and Ereb: https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2022-02-21/atrapados-entre-el-frontex-y-la-guardia-costera-libia-los-migrantes-luchan-por-sobrevivir-a-las-puertas-de-europa.html https://ereb.eu/story/on-board-sea-watch-3-scenes-from-a-rescue-operation/

To be with children, to care for elderly relatives, to find work: civilians tell why they are leaving safe countries for a war zone. Text by Lorcan Lovett for The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/apr/20/ukrainian-women-going-home-despite-the-danger

Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, hosts the highest concentration of Ukrainian refugees per capita. With an economy hard hit by the war in Ukraine, this small ex-Soviet republic is caught between two forces: the shadow of the Russian giant, on which it still depends economically and politically, and the aspiration to join the European Union. Will welcoming Ukrainians bring Moldova closer to the European dream? This story has been published in EDL-Espace des Libertés: https://edl.laicite.be/moldavie-terre-daccueil-et-pays-en-sursis/

Their sons' deaths have something in common: the Ilva steel plant. Many mothers in Taranto, Southern Italy, link the premature death of their sons or daughters to the nearby factory. ArcelorMittal steel plant, still known as Ilva after the name given by its former owner, is Europe's largest steel plant. Scientific studies have linked emissions from the Ilva plant to health issues among the local population. For some forms of cancer, respiratory, renal, and cardiovascular diseases Taranto's rates exceed regional and national averages, and children are found to be more likely to be born with disabilities. Ilva is also dramatically famous for the high number of accidents at work that happen inside its walls. In my reportage, I portray Taranto's mothers who lost a son or a daughter for a disease allegedly linked to Ilva's emissions or for a work accident that happened inside the steel plant. Antonella Massaro, for example, lost her 5-year-old daughter to leukemia. Vita Tinella said goodbye to her son while he was going to work at Ilva and never saw him alive again: he died on that same morning falling from a crane. These stories are tragic but are also examples of resilience and social militancy. In 2020, ArcelorMittal signed an agreement with the Italian government to form a public-private partnership and increase steel production in 2021. According to many, this means sentencing a territory and its inhabitants to death. Taranto's mothers wonder for how long they will still have to bury their sons. This reportage has been published in Mnngful magazine: https://stories.mnngful.com/valeria-mongelli-the-steel-plant-mothers/

The game: this is how migrants name the challenge of crossing borders without being caught by the police. In recent months, the Val di Susa (Piedmont) has become a hub for those following the Balkan route and trying to reach France through steep mountain paths. In Oulx, a few kilometers away from the French border, a refugee shelter supervised by several nonprofit organizations offers them food, warm clothes, and a bed. Here, migrants can also find legal and medical assistance. Journalist Alessia Manzi and I followed some of the migrants through their journey. Different versions of this story have been published in El País, Il Manifesto, Revue Choisir, and EDL-Espace des Libertés. As en example: https://elpais.com/elpais/2022/02/21/album/1645459618_982940.html