PLIGHT OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ACROSS DESERT AND SEA TO DESTINATION EUROPE
BY GABRIEL ADUKPO, FREELANCE WRITER, KOFORIDUA
NOTE TO BROADCASTER
International Migrants Day is observed on December 18 since 2000 to throw the spotlight on the rights and contributions of the millions of migrants all over the world. The most recent, that of 2017, was shifted to January 14, 2018.
In a radio news commentary, Gabriel Adukpo, a freelance writer from Koforidua, looks at the plight of illegal migrants journeying through unsafe channels to Europe.
PLIGHT OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ACROSS DESERT AND SEA TO DESTINATION EUROPE
BY GABRIEL ADUKPO, FREELANCE WRITER, KOFORIDUA
THROUGHOUT human history, mobility has been an inherent characteristic of all populations. While our young people are running away from Ghana and Africa, other nationals are moving to the continent. Whatever the direction and magnitude of movement, it is part of the phenomenon of migration.
Human migration is the movement by people from one place to another to settle, permanently or temporarily, in a new location. A person fleeing from home to another country because of a natural disaster or civil disturbance is described as a refugee. However, when one is forced to leave one’s home to another place within the same country, the victim is an internally displaced person.
Yet in the absence of natural disasters or instability, people gather the courage to seek greener pastures in different countries. These persons are referred to as international migrants who may be staying in the host countries lawfully or illegally.
The reasons why people want to emigrate can be classified as push and pull factors. While people would like to overcome unemployment, lack of opportunities, and poverty, the attraction of better medical care, education, and living conditions in advanced countries impels people to be on the move.
Current estimates are that there are 258 million international migrants worldwide. This includes Ghanaians who travel to other countries through the approved routes. Meanwhile, there are scores, if not hundreds, of young Ghanaians who attempt to enter the European Union daily through unapproved channels. Their problem is not fear of persecution, but work is the major reason.
The migration corridors mostly used are Libya-European Union, Morocco-European Union, and Algeria-France. As our youths target countries with stronger economies, they travel across the Sahara desert to the Mediterranean coast.
If the journey across the Sahara could be described as hazardous, then that across the Mediterranean is as intimidating as it is unpredictable. This is because the emigrants have to be smuggled across the shark-infested sea in rickety boats only to battle it out with Italian or Spanish coast guards at the other end. The survivors of harsh desert conditions, sinking boats, and border control finally make it to Europe.
Frankly speaking, immigrants contribute to the economic development both of host countries and countries of origin. Migrants are needed to take up lower-level jobs in the labour market of advanced countries because their citizens do not want to do those jobs. Having been lured to those jobs because of relatively higher wages, most immigrants are in a position to send some money back home.
These remittances are of broader economic significance to the migrants’ home countries as they bring in extra capital. In 2014, funds transferred by migrant workers to their home countries amounted to US$436 billion—a figure far higher than official development assistance. Ghana’s share of global remittances consistently hovers around 2.7 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. Apart from economic returns, migration is also known to engender social and cultural ties for societies at large.
Much as international migration portends a lot of benefits for humankind, it is also fraught with dangers, including hostility, unsafe channels, abuse of human rights, extortion, loss of belongings, and detention. These negative tendencies become aggravated when migration is done illegally. It is the mistreatments and inequalities meted out to migrants that give cause for alarm.
Illegal migration is a matter of concern to many stakeholders. The Roman Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has repeatedly expressed concern for the degrading circumstances of migrants and refugees, especially at the Lampedusa immigration reception centre in Italy. Besides, the United Nations is leading other international organizations like the International Organization for Migration to regulate international travel. In the same way, Europe, which is at the receiving end of large numbers of migrants, is also undergoing processes to lessen the plight of illegal migrants. The most recent International Agreement for Managing Migration seeks to facilitate migrants’ access to basic services.
African leaders, on their part, need to do more to meet the aspirations of their citizens. Despite reports of economic growth and progress in many countries, the deep-rooted problem of poverty remains.
First and foremost, decent jobs must be created to absorb the teeming youths walking the streets looking for work. In the absence of sustainable jobs, the youth look up to the Schengen region for the solution to their economic woes. It is worth commending the 100,000 young Ghanaian men and women engaged in the Nation Builders Corps for remaining in the country after years of graduation and joblessness. When the One-District-One-Factory policy fully comes on stream, many more young ones will get jobs to do.
Secondly, the issue of skill training must be taken seriously. We must admit that some migrants are highly skilled. We are losing those persons who were trained at the expense of the taxpayer. However, the majority of our youth do not have the requisite skills for the labour market. We must step up technical and vocational education and training.
We reckon that one of the reasons why would-be migrants pass unapproved routes is the lack of travel documents. Passport acquisition in Ghana is being made easier and easier. Prospective travellers should not hesitate to apply for theirs. Prospective travellers should also make available relevant supporting documents to facilitate the granting of visas by foreign embassies.
Illegal migration is not only a problem for countries of origin but for destination countries as well. Since both parties share the challenges and opportunities, African and European leaders should work together to find solutions to illegal migration.
Appropriate steps must be taken to reduce, if not eliminate, the tragedy on the way to Europe for our youth.
END
CONTRIBUTED BY: GABRIEL ADUKPO, FREELANCE WRITER EMAIL: gyaduk@yahoo.com/gyaduk@gmail.com
