Today (December 18), on the International Migrants Day, the world celebrates both migrants and migration. The UN Migration Agency (IOM) defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of (1) the person’s legal status; (2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; (3) what the causes for the movement are; or (4) what the length of the stay is.
The estimated number of international migrants has increased over the past five decades. Currently approximately 281 million people are international migrants living in a country other than their country of birth. This does not take into account second generation migrants – people born in the host countries to first generation migrants.
Every year, people around the world face the devastating impacts of conflicts, diseases, natural disasters, and Climate Change that force them to migrate. At the end of 2021, a staggering 59.1 million people were internally displaced (55 million in 2020) and 53.2 million were due to conflict and violence while 5.9 million were due to disasters. While some regions are affected more than others, no nation is spared the risks of displacement. And net migration is likely to increase with the adverse effects of Climate Change and conflicts. Dire economic circumstances in home countries can also drive people to seek greener pastures abroad, a phenomenon we have seen in Sri Lanka itself.
Anti-immigrant stance
But in today’s polarised world, “migrant” has become a dirty word. There is a lot of antagonism towards migrants in many parts of the world. Many world leaders have taken an anti-immigrant stance, mainly to pacify the majority communities in their respective countries. There is a tendency to blame all ills of the economy and other sectors on the migrants. Studies show that immigrants drive growth and innovation in countries that they move to and in countries that move from, which benefit from remittances sent by the immigrants and expatriates.
What we do not realise is that many countries from the USA to Australia have actually been established by migrants, although these countries have indigenous populations as well. Sri Lanka is no exception – our ancestors hailed from many other parts of the world including India. Legend has it that Lankans can trace their lineage back to Prince Vijaya who came here from India.
Evidence overwhelmingly shows that migrants generate economic, social and cultural benefits for societies everywhere. Yet, hostility towards migrants is unfortunately growing around the world. We hear of attacks and hate crimes against migrants in most Western countries almost every day. Thus solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent.
The stark reality is that we are all migrants. Migration is the very foundation of humanity. The first humanoids are believed to have migrated from what is now East Africa nearly 120,000 years ago to other parts of Africa and the world. In essence, human history is actually a story of migration. A sense of exploration and yearning to find what lay over the horizon took humans to other parts of the world. This is how entire continents from America to Australia were populated.
Migration almost always enriches a country’s economy and culture. Many countries would not have developed to this extent if not for the massive contribution made by migrants. Today, globalisation, together with advances in communications and transport, has greatly increased the number of people who have the desire and the capacity to move to other places. Many countries with low birth rates and low populations actually encourage skilled professionals in developing countries to move to their countries, although this could lead to a brain drain in the home countries.
The lure of a well-paid job in a wealthy country is indeed a powerful driver of international migration. The attraction has intensified as income differentials among countries continue to grow. This holds true not only regarding the large and growing differentials between high and low-income countries, but also with regard to the more dynamic and the less dynamic developing countries.
Many advanced and dynamic economies need migrant workers to fill jobs that cannot be outsourced and that do not find local workers willing to take them at the going wages. Population ageing also underlies this growing demand, as it gives rise to deficits of workers relative to dependents. And as younger generations become better educated, fewer in their ranks are content with low-paid and physically demanding jobs. Hence these countries have to look elsewhere for labour to fill these vacancies.
Separate day
It is therefore appropriate that the United Nations has set aside a separate day to mark the contribution of migration to the moulding of our world and to highlight the very modern issue of mass migration that occurs as a result of poverty, conflict and even environmental problems. As UN Secretary General António Guterres notes, “migration has always been with us. Climate change, demographics, instability, growing inequalities, and aspirations for a better life, as well as unmet needs in labour markets, mean it is here to stay. The answer is effective international cooperation in managing migration to ensure that its benefits are most widely distributed, and that the Human Rights of all concerned are properly protected”.
In a victory for migration and migrants everywhere, Leaders from 164 countries have agreed to a global pact that sets in action a plan “to prevent suffering and chaos” for global migration despite opposition and several withdrawals by a number of countries.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) was agreed upon in 2018 at an intergovernmental conference in Marrakech, Morocco. A non-binding agreement, the GCM aims to better manage migration at local, national, regional and global levels, including reducing the risks and vulnerabilities the migrants or refugees face at different stages of their journey.
The number of migrants, representing around 4 per cent of the world’s population, is increasing faster than the global population, driven by economic prosperity, inequality, violence, conflict and climate change. Around 80 percent of the world’s migrants move between countries in a safe and orderly fashion. But thousands of people have died on the move since the year 2000, according to the UN.
The UN migration agency (IOM) has said that 4,470 migrants died along migration routes worldwide in 2021, exceeding the 4,236 deaths registered in 2020. According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, over 45,400 deaths have been recorded worldwide since 2014. While many States have committed to the Global Compact for Migration, very few have engaged on Objective 8 to ‘save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants’. IOM has urged States to develop policy and practice to reduce the risks that people face in seeking a better life.
Even in transit countries, or the country of destination, racism, discrimination and human-rights violations are continuously reported. Illegal migration has become a major issue in many countries, to the point where extremist political parties have sprung up to “protect the borders” of their respective countries against a perceived “alien invasion”. Former US President Donald Trump, who might run again for President in 2024, extensively campaigned along these lines.
Such political leaders and parties spread fear and suspicion about the immigrants among the native population. Respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of all migrants is essential to reap the benefits of international migration, though countries are free to address concerns such as extremism and terrorism.
Illegal migrants
Migration can be both legal and illegal. Europe has faced a wave of illegal migrants coming over on rickety boats, with thousands losing their lives every year in the Mediterranean Sea. Some far-right Governments in Europe refuse docking rights for boats carrying migrants, even those that belong to well-known humanitarian organisations.
But many countries do offer a legal pathway for migration, mainly because their population is not adequate to meet the labour and professional service needs. Japan is the latest to join this list, with the Government planning to issue work visas (with option of Permanent Residency) for more than 300,000 foreigners. Germany has also announced similar plans. Many countries also offer a Permanent Residency (PR) pathway for students and professionals after a few years’ stay. In this category are people from developing countries with skills and professional qualifications who legally obtain PR and citizenship in countries such as Australia and Canada with generally low populations.
‘Greener pasture’
In the other category are people who try to escape their own countries to regions such as Europe and Australia due to economic reasons, conflict or other factors. It must be noted that the poorest people in any country generally do not have the resources to bear the costs and risks of international migration. International migrants are thus usually drawn from middle-income households. If they succeed in their bid to reach a ‘greener pasture’, they become refugees or asylum seekers, but many of them end up being deported to their home countries.
The trafficking and smuggling of persons is an integral part of migration, the difference being that persons (mostly women and girls) are trafficked against their will for slavery or prostitution while those smuggled are undertaking the journey on their own volition. Human Smuggling Criminal Rings charge exorbitant amounts for a rickety boat ride and leave the migrants midway at sea with only two options – getting caught by the Navies of destination countries or death by drowning. Sometimes, the Navies of home countries manage to nab the illegal migrants before they even depart – the Sri Lanka Navy does this regularly. Some destination countries also advertise in the home countries, such as the ads aired by the Australian Government deterring illegal migration on Sri Lanka’s TV channels.
Domestic migration
Migration does not even have to be from one country to another. Most countries suffer from the phenomenon of domestic migration, where youth from villages migrate to the more prosperous cities in search of jobs and educational opportunities. This has a severe effect on the villages as the talent pool available for farming and traditional village industries drops almost to zero. This is why it is essential to create equal opportunities for all youth in the villages as well as in the cities. Again, this should not be confused with the concept of IDPs (Internally Displaced People), where people are displaced within their own countries mostly by conflict or natural disasters.
Migration, though not a new phenomenon by any means, is re-defining the world we live in. It is essentially a two-way street. Developing countries must do more to create opportunities for youth within their boundaries which will dampen the enthusiasm to migrate. Destination countries too must be more compassionate towards the plight of genuine migrants fleeing conflict and persecution while balancing their national interests and resources. The world will be a much better place to live in if we can all get along.
