The right to a life free from violence is an ambition taken seriously within Sweden and the wider European Union. Sweden and other Member States of the European Union have a clear duty to protect people within their jurisdiction from violence. However, what kind of responsibility does Sweden and the EU have towards people on the borders of the European Union? This question is highly relevant today when the Mediterranean sea has the grim distinction of being the world’s deadliest border crossing. With many fleeing violence in their own countries, who bears responsibility for the deaths at sea? Professor Thomas Spijkerboer, who has recently completed a large-scale research programme on border deaths, engages in discussion with Wilfried Buchhorn of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representation in Northern Europe and Professor Elspeth Guild of Queen Mary University, an expert in EU refugee law.