The migrant crisis

Lifeless floating bodies, scared faces, limp eyes – the images from the boat capsize carrying refugees just off the coast of Libya are both heath-wrenching and frightening. The body count is a reflection of the deeply unjust, crisis-filled world we have created where the risk of death is worth much more than the certainty of a worthless life in people’s home countries. Over 160 bodies were discovered floating in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday while another 40 were found on a capsized boat. The overcrowded boat had set off from the Libyan town of Zuwara with over 400 people on board. Amongst those on board were people from Sub-Saharan Africa, Syria, Morocco, Bangladesh and – to bring matters home – Pakistan. The story of Pakistani teenager Shefaz Hamza, who clung to the wreckage of the boat for nine hours before being rescued only to discover that his mother and sister were already dead, has made the story more real for us here in Pakistan. Pakistan remains one of the major countries with a huge push factor, with families looking to escape the country for a better future in Europe.
The incident has pushed the number of deaths in the Mediterranean up to 2,500 this year, already more than 2014’s record-breaking toll. The rise of Isis in Syria and Iraq, instability in Libya, the persecution of minorities in Pakistan, famine in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Rohingya persecution in Burma are amongst the major global issues pushing people to flee their homes. Increasingly met by hostile immigration policies in Europe, people are forced to take more precarious paths to arriving in a safer environment. Half of those in the Libya boat were lucky to be saved, but they now face an uncertain future. Will they be detained, deported or allowed to enter their destination of choice? The last is not likely to be their fate as they are forced to waddle through the terrifying legal structures facing those who attempt to enter new countries without proper documentation. The global migrant crisis is a product of policies coming from the Global North, including Europe. However, these countries, including the US and Australia, are shying away from taking any responsibility for the global migration crisis. The United Nations needs to declare an immigration crisis and ask first world countries to open their borders to migrants in desperate situations. Otherwise, there will be more deaths at sea.