In today’s globalized world, migration emerges as an international issue that necessitates national-level discussions to address its multifaceted challenges.
currently, there are over 280 million persons, approximately 3.6 percent of the world’s population, living outside their home countries.
Reports show that there are various degrees of compulsion involved, where well over 100 million people forcibly displaced their homes and countries, classified as refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, and those in need of international protection. Â
In the UK alone, about 6 million people (9 percent of the total population) hold a nationality of a different country, generally statistics show that people migration into the UK are greater than those emigration in for the last three decades.
Those coming to UK to seek asylum and protection has increased lately, that have created an intense debate among politician, parties, and academics, and in fact have bitterly divided public opinion.
The war in Ukraine and collapse of Afghan government after 20 years of complex conflict have sent waves of refugees and asylum seeker to most western nations, including the UK, and Iran, Syria, Eritrea, and Sudan remain top 10 nations that send most refugees.
According to UK government figures, there were 3,287,404 visas UK granted in the year ending June 2023, which is about 58% higher than the year ending June 2022. Â
During the same year, government reveals that there were 52,530 irregular migrants detected entering the UK, up 17% from the year ending June 2022, 85% of these arrived via small boats.
Nevertheless, migration is not just a numerical phenomenon, but rather a collection of human stories, experiences, hope, and new beginnings, as migrants navigate new, dynamic, and unfamiliar lands, cultures, and systems.
Adam, not his real name, 42, has emigrated to UK about two years ago through family reunion, from a war and conflict affected country.
He told Mojatu London team that he left everything he had back home to have a chance to reunite his family in the UK and begin a new and stable life together.
He said: “I had to leave everything I worked for all my life back home in order to reunite with my family in the UK to start all over again.”
However, Adam, though he feels safe in the UK, he continues thinking about two of his loved family members whom he left back home, but now making their way to reach shores of Europe in a desperate bid for safety and better life.
Adam’s story is not isolated, there are countless others who life with the trauma from harrowing journey their family other members go through, as they flee from persecution, ethnic or religious violence, political instability or harsh climate conditions.
Unfortunately, many pass away as they cross the channel on their way to UK. Recently, six migrant dies after their overloaded small boat sank.
Such appalling deaths is for sure devastating to the family, relatives, and friend members of the deceased.
Migrants, particularly undocumented ones, are usually vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.
There are incidences, where these undocumented migrants are forced to work in unpleasant working environments and conditions, with very law wages compared to other people, usually left with no other options to accept unfavourable living conditions that they wouldn’t choice had they not traveling undocumented.
The impact of migration to all those involved, undocumented migrants and their relatives as well as the host communities and the specific circumstances relating the immigration in general remain complex, whereas families of undocumented migrants continue to live with enormous burden of uncertainties, worries and anxiety.
In a nutshell, as migration continues to shape our new world, there is a need for coordinated efforts between nations and internal deliberation to ease the complex global migration systems, foster safe and easy paths can reduce the irregular migration.
Furthermore, there is an urgent need to break the lucrative illegal migration networks, profiting massively from the suffer of those desperately fleeing from persecution and violence.
“I had to leave everything I worked for all my life back home in order to reunite with my family in the UK to start all over again.”
*Adam*
Migrant
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