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Migration, migration, migration. If you are living in Europe or the Americas, it is a topic politicians seem to talk about incessantly.
Very often, people on the move are used as scapegoats for all sorts of problems and dangers societies are facing.
The hostile environment for migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in Europe is front-page news, crowding out the positive stories of welcoming communities and industrious, resilient newcomers.
Very rarely, the discourse centers on newcomers and their stories. In times of multiple wars and planetary crises, scapegoating is lazy and ignorant at best – incredibly dangerous and violence-provoking at worst.
Of course, there are challenges around migration as well as many examples of how to effectively address these challenges.
Taking a closer look at the people making these dangerous journeys helps us to have a better perspective. HRW’s Judith Sunderland recently spent time on the Geo Barents, a rescue ship operated by Médecins sans Frontières in the Mediterranean Sea.
In a new HRW-Essay, she writes: “It was a lot of humanity on one ship in the middle of the sea. Each person with their own character and stories, united by the often-terrifying circumstances of these journeys but also a tenacious commitment to life.”
People shouldn’t have to risk dying at sea or nightmarish detention in countries like Libya. The EU should fundamentally re-orient its migration policy to enable safe and legal pathways for migration and suspend its cooperation with security forces in countries that violate people’s rights.
Saving lives at sea and making sure people are taken to a safe place needs to be the priority. The EU should act #WithHumanity.
Given a fair chance, most of the people who arrive and stay will help themselves, their families, and their new communities.
