We are driving people into taking incredibly dangerous measures to get to Europe. But is it really worth 400 lives to keep out “illegal immigrants”?
Blog by Jack Tannock, media volunteer
On October 3 2013 a boat overloaded with migrants from Africa sank just off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The death toll currently stands at 364 making this one of the worst disasters of its kind in Europe.
Shockingly, just a week later on October 11 the same thing happened again when a second boat sank with a death toll of 38.
Sadly, these were not the first such tragedies, and unless we make some important changes and offer more help and understanding to these unfortunate people, they will not be the last.
Why Lampedusa?
The small island of Lampedusa has long been a destination for migrants as a result of its location. It’s one of the closest parts of Europe to the North African coast.
The island is just a short boat ride away from Tunisia and Libya, however, most of those onboard these fated trips are believed to have been from Somalia, Syria or Eritrea. This shows how far desperate people will travel, in appalling conditions, for the slightest chance of a better life.
More than 13,000 migrants have arrived to the Italian island so far this year.
The European Dream
Many of those on board will be fleeing from persecution in order to seek a better life.
For example, Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in the world. In addition to this, a free press and political parties are banned; political prisoners are held indefinitely in terrible conditions where torture is the norm; only four religions are permitted and members of any other faith are imprisoned. Indefinite military conscription is often used as a form of near slave labour; anyone caught trying to flee the country or seek asylum will be branded a traitor and may face imprisonment, torture or death.
The need for safe passage
Year after year it gets harder to enter Europe. Tall barbed wired fences protect the Spanish enclaves in Morocco. And border patrols keep an extremely close eye on the Mediterranean.
The taller the fences, and the more patrols – the more creative the smugglers will get. The more risks they have to take, and the more dangerous the passage will be.
Surely we have a duty in Europe to aid those in need; those whose only crime is seeking a better life, free from violence and persecution.
The least we can do is to live up to the UN Refugee Convention, which clearly entitles refugees safe passage.
We must take action to make it safer for people to claim asylum and try to be more sympathetic to those who do. Only then will we begin to avoid the needless deaths of those we could have saved.
