'More than one million refugees and migrants have reached Europe by sea since the beginning of 2015' according to the UNHCR. Of these, 'more than 80% (about 844,000) arrived in Greece', mainly on Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and other Greek islands near the Turkish coast. The remainder mainly arrived in Italy from Lybia. This is nearly five times as many as in 2014 (216,000). Around half are from Syria, one fifth from Afghanistan, nearly one in ten from Iraq.
Sadly, 3,735 souls are dead or missing at sea in this year alone, yet this is just a fraction of the human toll. Over 22,000 deaths of people trying to enter Europe have been documented since 1993 by UNITED. One was the 32-year-old Syrian/Palestinian father who froze to death exactly one year after getting wet carrying his four-year-old daughter dry on his shoulders to safety across the Evros River onto Greek soil.
Smugglers overload unseaworthy boats and dinghies, and even offer 'bad-weather discounts' with callous disregard for human lives. One source I found says they charge Syrians USD3,000 for passage to Europe. So I would estimate their profits at between one and two billion USD per year. This is money that could have stayed in their home countries to help their families, or that could have been invested in their new adopted countries. See my previous blog post for my suggestions on processing refugees in country of origin, or at least on Turkish or Lybian land (most set off to cross the Mediterranean from one of these two countries), to prevent their risking their lives at sea while enriching these criminals.
The refugees' exploitation goes deeper than the crossing fees to smugglers. It includes being sold substandard life-jackets which may actually be causing more drownings. It continues upon arrival on European soil, by taxi drivers, hotels, canteens etc who overcharge them. I have seen this with my own eyes, the taxi driver on Samos who was taking us from the airport boasting about the money she was making, the hotel where I was staying at full capacity in winter even taking families to other places for the night.
This exploitation will unfortunately continue in many cases in the countries offering them asylum, as sources of cheap labour. Germany is the most popular destination, and while I do not wish to cast aspersions on this huge contribution, it is not entirely altruistic. Other host countries will no doubt also benefit in the long run, just as America, Canada and Australia have grown strong with the labour of the immigrants they have welcomed, provided they are integrated into their new societies, given rights and citizenship. This would be a better use of resources than the huge sums spent funding Frontex and other ways of keeping them out, such as razor-wire fences.
My blog today has focussed on the monetary aspect of this crisis, because human greed being what it is, profit may move the powers that be where the humanitarian aspect has not. The photo of little Aylan Kurdi went viral on the web for a few days in September, but what came of it? He was unfortunately neither the first nor the last. Let us not forget the hundreds of other children, the thousands of adults who also died less photogenically. How many more people need to die before something is done?
Migration has been a part of human history since Lucy's descendants spread to Eurasia, if the 'out of Africa' theory is correct. Jesus, whose birth is being celebrated by many these days, was also a refugee, fleeing the murderous intent of King Herod. Examples are too numerous for this entry, you can read further on your own.
May 2016 be the year when the people smugglers are put out business, when no more lives are lost in the wars, persecutions and poverty that cause refugees in the first place, and in their desperate attempts to find a better life here. May "Fortress Europe" become a thing of the past.
Other sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35194360
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34682034
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-35091772
Sadly, 3,735 souls are dead or missing at sea in this year alone, yet this is just a fraction of the human toll. Over 22,000 deaths of people trying to enter Europe have been documented since 1993 by UNITED. One was the 32-year-old Syrian/Palestinian father who froze to death exactly one year after getting wet carrying his four-year-old daughter dry on his shoulders to safety across the Evros River onto Greek soil.
Smugglers overload unseaworthy boats and dinghies, and even offer 'bad-weather discounts' with callous disregard for human lives. One source I found says they charge Syrians USD3,000 for passage to Europe. So I would estimate their profits at between one and two billion USD per year. This is money that could have stayed in their home countries to help their families, or that could have been invested in their new adopted countries. See my previous blog post for my suggestions on processing refugees in country of origin, or at least on Turkish or Lybian land (most set off to cross the Mediterranean from one of these two countries), to prevent their risking their lives at sea while enriching these criminals.
The refugees' exploitation goes deeper than the crossing fees to smugglers. It includes being sold substandard life-jackets which may actually be causing more drownings. It continues upon arrival on European soil, by taxi drivers, hotels, canteens etc who overcharge them. I have seen this with my own eyes, the taxi driver on Samos who was taking us from the airport boasting about the money she was making, the hotel where I was staying at full capacity in winter even taking families to other places for the night.
This exploitation will unfortunately continue in many cases in the countries offering them asylum, as sources of cheap labour. Germany is the most popular destination, and while I do not wish to cast aspersions on this huge contribution, it is not entirely altruistic. Other host countries will no doubt also benefit in the long run, just as America, Canada and Australia have grown strong with the labour of the immigrants they have welcomed, provided they are integrated into their new societies, given rights and citizenship. This would be a better use of resources than the huge sums spent funding Frontex and other ways of keeping them out, such as razor-wire fences.
My blog today has focussed on the monetary aspect of this crisis, because human greed being what it is, profit may move the powers that be where the humanitarian aspect has not. The photo of little Aylan Kurdi went viral on the web for a few days in September, but what came of it? He was unfortunately neither the first nor the last. Let us not forget the hundreds of other children, the thousands of adults who also died less photogenically. How many more people need to die before something is done?
Migration has been a part of human history since Lucy's descendants spread to Eurasia, if the 'out of Africa' theory is correct. Jesus, whose birth is being celebrated by many these days, was also a refugee, fleeing the murderous intent of King Herod. Examples are too numerous for this entry, you can read further on your own.
May 2016 be the year when the people smugglers are put out business, when no more lives are lost in the wars, persecutions and poverty that cause refugees in the first place, and in their desperate attempts to find a better life here. May "Fortress Europe" become a thing of the past.
Other sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35194360
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34682034
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-35091772
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