EDITORIAL
Migration is a hot button topic on the international stage. As a feature of the Brexit campaigns and the election of US President Donald Trump, it raises its head all across the world, especially in developed countries. World Refugee Day was marked yesterday, and it is a timely reminder of the stark realities faced by persons who have had to flee their homeland through no fault of their own.
It’s not difficult to understand, however, when looking at the horrors faced by those persons in their own country. Growing environmental and internal conflicts have meant that people are moving by the millions, usually travelling to bordering countries, but more often than not, fleeing to Europe, the United States and Canada. In Europe alone, the thousands of migrants who reach land live in camps and have no means of supporting themselves or their families. Others die in the attempt.
The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that more 25.4 million people to date have been forced to leave their countries because of “war, violence and other forms of persecution”. According to the agency, most refugees come from five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia. When one hears their stories, of the routes they have taken to escape persecution, and the terrors they face at home, it is a clear that they decide to move out of abject fear for their lives and their families’ lives.
On Tuesday, President of France Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel asked for a joint European response to the migrant crisis. Several countries have accepted refugees in their national borders, notably Germany, Canada, Turkey, Pakistan and Uganda, but the reality is some nations have admitted to making conditions as unwelcome as possible to deter people from making the trek. But if it is a choice between a rock and a hard place, most have clearly decided to still try their luck in seeking a safer life.
There is much we can learn from this, the largest wave of migration since World War II. It is indisputable that countries must and should always seek to look after their national interests. It would be unconscionable to not institute checks and controls to legally regulate the number of persons entering a country.
However, we must also be mindful that these are exceptional circumstances. In addition, it has been proven in our societies that, for the most part, immigrants contributed positively to the character of the country in which they live, and are usually driven to achieve high standards of living for themselves and their families. Caribbean people can attest to this; the 20th century has seen many of our people moving in search of a better life or for job opportunities in metropolitan countries or other Caribbean territories, in most cases, favourably adding to the cultural flavour of the country in which they have settled.
As UN High Commissioner for Refugees Fillippo Grandi stated: “No one becomes a refugee by choice.” Since there has been little change in world conflict, it stands to reason that this is an issue that will continue in the near future, until the conflicts in their own countries are resolved.
A migrant or asylum seeker is a human being, deserving of compassion, empathy and dignity. Reasonable initiatives must be proposed and engaged for accepting refugees, with a zero tolerance approach only employed if they commit violent or illegal acts.