[6] In August 2017, Jugend Rettet refused to sign the code of conduct for NGOs set up by the Italian government.
Originally named Maria, and renamed Waterman II in 1969 and Jonas in 1971, the ship was initially used for fishing.
[9][10] On 10 June 2018, the Biografilm Festival in Bologna, Italy, introduced Michele Cinque's 86-minute cinema documentary Iuventa [de] about the ship and its missions, filmed between 2016 and 2017.
[11][12][13] On 10 May 2019 the crew of the Iuventa was honored by the Swiss Paul Grüninger Foundation with a human rights award for saving the lives of around 14000 people in the central Mediterranean Sea.
[14] On 2 August 2017 the public prosecutor of the Italian municipality of Trapani seized the Iuventa on allegation of cooperation with migrant smugglers and the encouraging of illegal immigration.
[21] In July 2018, investigations were started against some members of Jugend Rettet,[22] including the ship's captain, Pia Klemp.