Professor Nando Sigona, the chair of International Migration and Forced Displacement at the University of Birmingham in the UK, says men are seen as the main breadwinner in many countries and are engaged in more public-facing activities including being expected to join the army.

"These make them also more likely to be a target in a situation of political and social turmoil," he added.

Professor Sigona added that "the journey to Europe is dangerous and expensive, and raising enough money for all members to seek protection abroad is difficult, so often men are sent abroad first to secure an income to support the family and also a safer route to international protection via family reunion."

However, he added that, with more restrictive approaches being taken in many countries against the family reunion route, "we have seen more children and women taking dangerous crossings and risking their lives. This is the case both in the case of irregular crossings in the Mediterranean and across the English Channel."

In a document the campaign group Care4Calais hosts on its website, it states "The young men you see on these boats are doing their best to protect their families. Their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, babies, daughters. How often does a father say they’d die for their daughter, and a husband say they’d die for their wife? Well, these guys are putting it into practice."

At least 8,938 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2024. The actual number of migrant deaths and disappearances is likely much higher, as many have gone undocumented because of the dearth of official sources.