Many people in the world have had the experience of leaving the place where they grew up. Maybe they will only move as far as the next village or city. But for some people, they will need to leave their country entirely – sometimes for a short time, but sometimes forever.
There are many reasons why people seek to rebuild their lives in a different country. Some people leave home to get a job or an education. Others are forced to flee persecution or human rights violations. Millions flee from armed conflicts or other crises or violence. Some no longer feel safe and might have been targeted just because of who they are or what they do or believe.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org
These journeys, can also be full of danger and fear. Some people risk falling prey to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Some are detained by the authorities as soon as they arrive in a new country.
There are many reasons why it might be too difficult or dangerous for people to stay in their own countries. For example, children, woman and men flee from violence, war, hunger, extreme poverty, because of their sexual or gender orientation, or from the consequences of climate change or other natural disasters. Often people will face a combination of these difficult circumstances.
People who leave their countries are not always fleeing danger. They might believe they have a better chance of finding work in another country because they have the education or capital to seek opportunities elsewhere. Others might want to join relatives or friends who are already living abroad. Or they might seek to start or finish their education in another country. There are lots of different reasons for people to start a journey to build a life in a new country.
The terms “refugee”, “asylum seeker” and “migrant” are used to describe people who are on the move.
The terms “migrant” and “refugee” are often used interchangeably but it is important to distinguish between them as there is a legal difference. A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country. They are not legally recognized as a refugee but are waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. Seeking asylum is a human right.
There is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant. Some migrants leave their country because they want to work study or join family, for example. Others feel they must leave because of poverty, political unrest, gang violence, natural disasters or other serious circumstances that exist there.
The British Government recently introduced the “Illegal Migration Bill”. The new legislation is to stop asylum seekers, especially those crossing the English Channel. The numbers have increased from the hundreds to 45,755 in 2022. The majority have claimed asylum.
The Home Secretary says there is a 50% chance the Bill may be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. It is also deemed to have breached UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention.
The Bill is political in nature (perhaps all Bills are) but here the Tories are looking at the next general election. But will it “stop the boats”? Not likely. Why? The root cause is those leaving their home countries are impacted by negative forces in their homelands. People coming are from Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Eritrea, Iraq and many more.
What do they have in common? Wars started by the U.S. or its allies. When you have done regime change and when you leave a vacuum after your departure, chaos reigns. And so ordinary folks in danger of their lives or livelihood will leave for better places. Hence, we have the flood of people into Europe or the U.S. Border walls and legislation will not keep them out – only peace and prosperity in their homelands will. No one wants to leave their homeland for an unfamiliar foreign land unless there are the “push and pull’ factors.
Then there is the hypocrisy of the rules – if you are a Ukrainian you are welcome but not someone from Syria or Iraq. We (Malaysians) are no better, we don’t mind the Bosnian or the fair-skinned Pakistani but not the Rohingya. A refugee needs help no matter what his skin colour, race or creed.
References:
Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, www.amnesty.org
The illegal migration bill: seven questions for the government to answer, Rhys Clyne, Sachin Savur, Institute for Government, 10 March 2023
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