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Sea-Watch 3, 2019 – Ett resultat av Europas migrationspolitik

Engström, Moa LU (2025) MRSK62 20251
Human Rights Studies
Abstract
This thesis examines how five non govermental organisations (NGO) represent the events surrounding the Sea-Watch 3 case in the summer of 2019. The rescue vessel remained at sea for over two weeks after saving migrants off the coast of Libya, without any state offering a safe port of disembarkation. The study draws on a combination of two theoretical frameworks, the norm model and liminality. The norm model is used to analyze how legal and moral norms are articulated in the NGOs’ texts, while liminality serves as an analytical tool to explain the transitional condition that emerges when these norms fail to interact coherently.
The thesis employs qualitative content analysis and aims to explore which norms are emphasized in the NGOs’... (More)
This thesis examines how five non govermental organisations (NGO) represent the events surrounding the Sea-Watch 3 case in the summer of 2019. The rescue vessel remained at sea for over two weeks after saving migrants off the coast of Libya, without any state offering a safe port of disembarkation. The study draws on a combination of two theoretical frameworks, the norm model and liminality. The norm model is used to analyze how legal and moral norms are articulated in the NGOs’ texts, while liminality serves as an analytical tool to explain the transitional condition that emerges when these norms fail to interact coherently.
The thesis employs qualitative content analysis and aims to explore which norms are emphasized in the NGOs’ reporting, as well as how Captain Carola Rackete’s moral actions are positioned in relation to those norms. The central research question is: How do NGOs explain the cause of the liminal condition in which Sea- Watch 3 found itself, and how do they position the captain’s moral actions?
The findings show that all NGOs consistently identify the European inability to address an acute humanitarian emergency as the primary cause of the liminal condition. Captain Rackete is portrayed as a morally responsible actor who, despite violating Italian law, acted in accordance with a higher ethical duty, to save lives. This action is legitimized through frequent references to international law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement. At the same time, the NGOs direct sharp criticism toward both the EU and Italy for their inaction during the crisis, arguing that moral responsibility, in certain cases, ought to outweigh strict legal obligations. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Denna uppsats undersöker hur fem icke-statliga organisationer (NGO) framställer händelserna kring Sea-Watch 3-fallet sommaren 2019. Räddningsfartyget hölls kvar till havs i över två veckor efter att ha undsatt migranter utanför Libyens kust, utan att någon stat erbjöd en säker hamn. Studien utgår från en kombination av två teoretiska ramverk: normmodellen och liminalitet. Normmodellen används för att analysera hur rättsliga och moraliska normer artikuleras i NGO:ernas publikationer medan liminalitet fungerar som ett analytiskt komplement för att förklara tillståndet som uppstår när dessa normer inte samverkar.
Uppsatsen tillämpar kvalitativ innehållsanalys och syftar till att belysa vilka normer som lyfts fram i NGO:ernas publikationer... (More)
Denna uppsats undersöker hur fem icke-statliga organisationer (NGO) framställer händelserna kring Sea-Watch 3-fallet sommaren 2019. Räddningsfartyget hölls kvar till havs i över två veckor efter att ha undsatt migranter utanför Libyens kust, utan att någon stat erbjöd en säker hamn. Studien utgår från en kombination av två teoretiska ramverk: normmodellen och liminalitet. Normmodellen används för att analysera hur rättsliga och moraliska normer artikuleras i NGO:ernas publikationer medan liminalitet fungerar som ett analytiskt komplement för att förklara tillståndet som uppstår när dessa normer inte samverkar.
Uppsatsen tillämpar kvalitativ innehållsanalys och syftar till att belysa vilka normer som lyfts fram i NGO:ernas publikationer samt hur kaptenen för fartyget Sea- Watch 3, Carola Racketes, moraliska agerande positioneras i relation till dessa normer. Den centrala forskningsfrågan lyder: Hur förklarar NGO:er orsaken till det gränstillstånd Sea-Watch 3 befann sig i, och hur positionerar de kaptenens moraliska agerande?
Resultatet visar att NGO:erna enhetligt identifierar den europeiska oförmågan att hantera en akut humanitär nödsituation som den huvudsakliga orsaken till det liminala tillståndet. Kapten Rackete framställs som en moraliskt ansvarstagande individ som, trots att hon bröt mot italiensk lag, agerade utifrån en högre etisk princip, skyldigheten att rädda liv. Detta agerande legitimeras genom återkommande hänvisningar till internationell rätt, särskilt principen om non- refoulement. NGO:erna riktar samtidigt skarp kritik mot både EU och Italien för deras passivitet, och argumenterar för att moraliskt ansvar i vissa fall bör ges företräde framför strikt juridiska förpliktelser. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Engström, Moa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Sea-Watch 3, 2019 – A result of Europe’s migration policy
course
MRSK62 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Sea-Watch 3, liminality, norm model, non-refoulement, sea rescue, NGO.
language
Swedish
id
9209415
date added to LUP
2025-08-18 08:40:46
date last changed
2025-08-18 08:40:46
@misc{9209415,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how five non govermental organisations (NGO) represent the events surrounding the Sea-Watch 3 case in the summer of 2019. The rescue vessel remained at sea for over two weeks after saving migrants off the coast of Libya, without any state offering a safe port of disembarkation. The study draws on a combination of two theoretical frameworks, the norm model and liminality. The norm model is used to analyze how legal and moral norms are articulated in the NGOs’ texts, while liminality serves as an analytical tool to explain the transitional condition that emerges when these norms fail to interact coherently.
The thesis employs qualitative content analysis and aims to explore which norms are emphasized in the NGOs’ reporting, as well as how Captain Carola Rackete’s moral actions are positioned in relation to those norms. The central research question is: How do NGOs explain the cause of the liminal condition in which Sea- Watch 3 found itself, and how do they position the captain’s moral actions?
The findings show that all NGOs consistently identify the European inability to address an acute humanitarian emergency as the primary cause of the liminal condition. Captain Rackete is portrayed as a morally responsible actor who, despite violating Italian law, acted in accordance with a higher ethical duty, to save lives. This action is legitimized through frequent references to international law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement. At the same time, the NGOs direct sharp criticism toward both the EU and Italy for their inaction during the crisis, arguing that moral responsibility, in certain cases, ought to outweigh strict legal obligations.}},
  author       = {{Engström, Moa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Sea-Watch 3, 2019 – Ett resultat av Europas migrationspolitik}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}