TAKING BACK CONTROL
THEY TELL US THAT millions are on theIR way...
Many in Politics and media tell us we need to 'take back control of immigration'.
IT IS TRUE THAT THERE ARE MORE REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS THAN EVER BEFORE.
1 IN EVERY 7 PERSONS IS A MIGRANT.
65 MILLION ARE REFUGEES.
IN FACT, MOST MIGRATION IN THE WORLD IS WELL MANAGED BY NATION STATES, UN AGENCIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM).
MANAGED MIGRATION IS A PROCESS OF ENSURING ORDERLY, SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE MIGRATION FOR ALL.
REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS ARE PEOPLE. THEY are teachers, mechanics, DOCTORS, BAKERS, parents, children...
Refugee and migrants already "take control" by fleeing conflict, persecution, poverty and other life threatening situations.
Record-breaking numbers of refugees and migrants are moving across international borders, fleeing conflict, persecution, poverty, climate change, disasters and environmental degradation. They may also be fleeing other life-threatening situations, or be responding to labor and skill shortages and demographic changes and seeking better opportunities elsewhere. Their journeys can be fraught with peril; appalling tales of tragedies feature daily in the headlines. Those that make it to a destination are frequently met with hostility and intolerance. Those host communities making an effort to provide relief are often unprepared and overburdened by the sheer numbers arriving. Responsibilities are not well distributed: a small number of countries and host communities host disproportionate numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
Changing people's lives by enabling them to "take back control"
Taking back control requires fundamental shifts in the way we think about refugees and migrants. Lets reinforce, rather than try to replace national systems. Lets anticipate, do not wait for crises and in that way transcend the humanitarian-development divide.