Module 4.4
Recognising and responding to vulnerability
Not all survivors arrive in equal need. Some people arriving aboard have specific vulnerabilities — physical, psychological, social — that require different responses, specialist referral, or particular care in how crew interact with them. Identifying these vulnerabilities early and connecting people with the right support is one of the most important contributions a crew member can make.
This module is not about categorising survivors or treating groups as monolithic. It is about understanding the factors that create heightened risk, recognising indicators that should prompt specialist referral, and knowing what crew can and cannot do appropriately in each situation.
What you'll cover
- What vulnerability means in a maritime SAR context and why it matters
- The main vulnerable groups encountered in Central Mediterranean operations
- Indicators that should trigger specialist referral or extra care
- What crew should and should not do in each situation
Specialist staff lead on vulnerability
Most humanitarian SAR organisations have dedicated protection, medical, or mental health staff. Your role is to recognise indicators and refer — not to conduct assessments or provide specialist support yourself. Your organisation's SOPs will specify the referral pathway. Follow them.
Estimated time
12 minutes — followed by a knowledge check
Section 1 of 3
What makes someone vulnerable in this context
Vulnerability is not a fixed characteristic of a person. It is the intersection of individual circumstances, the situation they are in, and the resources available to them. Someone who is highly resilient in ordinary life may be acutely vulnerable after prolonged trauma, displacement, and a life-threatening sea crossing.
Pre-existing vulnerability
Some people embark on the crossing already carrying factors that increase risk — age (very young or elderly), disability, chronic medical conditions, pregnancy, pre-existing mental health conditions, or prior trauma including torture and detention. These factors compound the stress of the crossing.
Situational vulnerability
The journey itself creates vulnerability — through violence, sexual assault, dehydration, fuel burns from contact with petrol on overcrowded dinghies, exposure, and witnessing deaths. People who began the journey without specific vulnerabilities may arrive with significant needs created by the crossing.
Social vulnerability
Separation from family, travelling alone, not speaking any language that crew or mediators speak, belonging to a group that faces discrimination — these factors reduce a person's ability to access the support available, regardless of their individual resilience.
The importance of not assuming
Vulnerability is not visible on the outside. A person who appears calm may be deeply traumatised. Someone who is not crying or not asking for help may be in acute distress. Cultural and individual differences affect how distress is expressed. Crew who approach all survivors with the same care and attention — not just those who exhibit obvious distress — will identify vulnerability that would otherwise be missed.
Section 2 of 3
Groups that require particular attention
The following groups are consistently identified in humanitarian SAR operations as requiring heightened awareness and specialist referral pathways.
Unaccompanied minors
Children travelling without a parent or legal guardian
Unaccompanied minors (UAMs) are among the most vulnerable people on any crossing. They face heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation, and abuse both during the journey and after disembarkation. Many have experienced severe trauma. They may appear older than they are, may claim to be adults, or may be afraid to identify themselves as children. Identification is a legal obligation in many jurisdictions — the protection framework for minors is fundamentally different from that for adults.
Your role
If you have any reason to believe a person may be a minor travelling alone, refer immediately to the designated protection focal point or your SARCO. Do not make age assessments yourself. Do not separate a child from people they are with unless directed to by a specialist. Ensure they are not left alone.
Survivors of SGBV
Sexual and gender-based violence
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is documented as widespread along Central Mediterranean migration routes — in detention centres, transit camps, and during the crossing itself. Most survivors will not disclose. Indicators may include: avoiding physical contact, distress disproportionate to apparent situation, injuries, reluctance to be examined medically, or direct disclosure. The presence of a male crew member near a survivor may itself be triggering.
Your role
Never ask about sexual violence directly. If a survivor discloses to you, listen without judgment, thank them for trusting you, and refer to the designated person immediately — do not conduct further questioning. Ensure SGBV referral pathways specified in your SOPs are followed. Be conscious of your proximity, gender, and physical positioning when interacting with potentially vulnerable survivors.
Pregnant women and newborns
Obstetric emergencies and newborn care
Births during rescues and aboard vessels occur regularly in Central Mediterranean SAR operations. Pregnant women in advanced stages of pregnancy face acute risk from dehydration, stress, and the physical conditions of the crossing. Pre-term labour, complications, and deliveries at sea are documented. Women in early pregnancy may not be visibly pregnant and may not disclose.
Your role
Alert the medical team to any woman who appears to be pregnant, to any signs of labour, or to any person who appears to have recently given birth. Do not attempt to assist with delivery — this requires medical personnel. Ensure privacy and dignity are maintained at all times.
Acute mental health distress
Psychological crisis during or after rescue
Acute psychological crisis — severe dissociation, unresponsive states, acute panic, aggressive behaviour driven by fear, psychosis — can occur during rescue operations. This may be triggered by the rescue itself (loud engines, physical handling, unknown uniforms), rather than only by prior trauma. Many survivors have witnessed deaths during the crossing.
Your role
Do not attempt to restrain or physically manage a person in psychological crisis unless there is immediate safety risk — call for the medical team. Speak calmly, slowly, and clearly. If you do not share a language, a calm tone communicates. Reduce stimulation where possible — crowd, noise, physical proximity. Do not leave the person alone. Refer to medical/protection staff immediately.
Torture survivors
Physical and psychological marks of detention and torture
Survivors of detention and torture are present on almost every Central Mediterranean rescue. Evidence includes scarring inconsistent with ordinary injury, behaviour consistent with institutional trauma (extreme compliance, flinching at sudden movement, reluctance to speak), or direct disclosure. Physical wounds from detention conditions — including fuel burns, rope wounds, and blunt trauma — may be visible on arrival.
Your role
Never ask about detention or torture history. If indicators are present, ensure the medical team assesses any wounds. If a person discloses torture, listen, do not probe for details, and refer to the protection focal point. Maintain dignity at all times — avoid discussions about a person's injuries or history near other survivors.
Single parents with children
Parent of any gender travelling alone with minor children
Single parents travelling with minor children face a compounded vulnerability — responsible for the safety and wellbeing of their children while managing their own physical and psychological state after the crossing. Children in these situations may be distressed, separated during boarding, or difficult to keep track of in crowded conditions. The parent may be too exhausted or traumatised to advocate for their children's needs.
Your role
Keep parent and children together wherever possible. Alert the medical team and protection focal point. Ensure children are not separated from their caregiver during triage or distribution of supplies unless medically necessary.
Victims of trafficking
Survivors of human trafficking and exploitation
Trafficking victims may be present on any crossing. Some were placed on the boat without full understanding of the journey — deceived about the route, the conditions, or what awaited them. Others were forced. Trafficking victims may appear controlled or monitored by other passengers, may avoid eye contact or interaction with crew, or may present with fear responses that are not explained by the crossing alone. They are unlikely to self-identify.
Your role
Do not attempt to identify or question suspected trafficking victims directly. Alert the protection focal point to any observed indicators — unusual control dynamics between passengers, a person who appears fearful of specific individuals, or signs of exploitation. Confidentiality is essential.
Elderly persons
Older survivors with age-related vulnerabilities
Elderly survivors face heightened physical risk from the crossing — dehydration, hypothermia, and exhaustion affect older people more severely and with faster deterioration. Chronic conditions are more likely to be present. Cognitive disorientation after an extreme event is also more common. Older survivors may be less able to communicate distress or to advocate for their own needs.
Your role
Prioritise physical assessment and comfort. Alert the medical team early. Ensure they are seated safely and not left unsupported in crowded conditions. Communicate clearly and slowly — not loudly.
Confidentiality and protection
Information shared by survivors — disclosures, observations, medical details — is confidential. It is not discussed with other crew members beyond those with a direct operational need, and never in hearing of other survivors. What you observe, hear, or are told during an operation is treated with the same discretion you would apply to any sensitive personal information. Your organisation's data protection policy applies from the moment of rescue.
Section 3 of 3
What crew can and cannot do
The most important thing to understand is the boundary between observation and action. Crew members are often the first people to interact with survivors. What they notice — and what they report — directly determines whether vulnerabilities are identified and referred to the people who can help.
Crew can
Observe and note indicators of vulnerability
Refer immediately to the appropriate specialist
Provide a calm, safe immediate environment
Offer practical needs — blanket, water, food
Listen without probing or questioning
Ensure basic dignity and privacy
Document what you observed factually
Crew should not
Conduct vulnerability assessments
Ask about assault, torture, or trauma
Make age determinations for minors
Discuss observations near other survivors
Share information beyond those who need it
Provide specialist support without training
Promise specific outcomes or onward processes
The cost of missing vulnerability
Vulnerabilities that are not identified on the vessel may not be identified at all — particularly for groups with short processing timelines at disembarkation. A minor who is not identified as unaccompanied, a trafficking victim who is not referred to protection services, a woman who delivered aboard and needs follow-up care — the vessel is often the best — and sometimes only — opportunity for these needs to be recognised. Attentive crew make this difference.
Looking after yourself
Working with vulnerable people in acute distress — particularly children, survivors of violence, or people who are dying — is one of the most psychologically demanding aspects of SAR work. The emotional cost is real. Debrief after difficult operations, use your organisation's support mechanisms, and speak to your team leader if you are struggling. Psychological self-care is not a luxury — it is how this work remains sustainable.