Bereket Gebru
It
is less than a month left of Saudi Arabia’s notification of an impending mass
expulsion of illegal migrants. The last couple of months only saw nearly a
dozen thousand Ethiopians make it back to their homeland. With some estimates
putting the number of illegal migrant Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia at upwards of
four hundred thousand, it is clear that the large majority is bracing for a
turbulent time ahead.
Considering
the window of time the Saudi government has provided ahead of its expected
crackdown could be used to leave with one’s family and property safely, the
number of returnees should have been much more. The forced expulsions of the
Saudis four years ago also set a harsh and fatal precedent that saw numerous
Ethiopians lose their lives and their livelihoods as a result of the brutal
treatment they faced from the Saudis. By the time set for voluntary departure
running out fast, the possibility of another episode of deadly crackdown is
becoming more probable.
The
Ethiopian illegal migrants in Saudi Arabia need to hold the hand extended to
them by the Ethiopian government to get them safe to their country. They need
to make the right decision soon enough as the time is running out for them to enjoy
the privileges of today. Once the time passes by, it might be hard for them to
leave the country peacefully. The life they lead in Saudi Arabia is definitely
not worth the danger that is hovering above them.
For
those that are tempted by the amount of money they make in the country that
obviously does not welcome them, they should bear in mind that they have a
country of their own that can provide them with better opportunities than it
used to. The economic development in the country has allowed people to enjoy
better standards of living with considerable improvements in the level of
unemployment. Especially those that have saved some money from their endeavors
in Arabia can find it particularly conducive to start their own businesses or
organized themselves to set up an organization.
Risking
their lives to periodically face life threatening state sponsored schemes of
expulsion that effectively rid them of dignity and the property they raised is
definitely not worth it. The level of risk involved clearly outweighs the
benefits associated with staying back. It is time that Ethiopians wake up to
the grim realities of illegal migration and put a stop to their own plight.
Data
shows that at least 2,650 Ethiopians from Hadiya zone alone lost their lives as
a result of human trafficking between 2013 and 2016. The data further indicate
that thousands more are unaccounted for or have physical damages. Neighboring
zones are also thought to have similar conditions regarding human trafficking
with the youth largely set on their way to South Africa. To make matters worse,
those who made it to South Africa are not immune to the dangers as 1,134 of
them died there during the same time.
Although
the numbers for Saudi immigrants have not been as easy to access, it is a well
known fact that Ethiopians die on their journeys to the rich Arabian country.
The journey across the Red Sea over some crammed dinghies via Yemen to Saudi
Arabia is known to be one of the most fatal ones. With immigrants expected to
face fatal campaigns like the impending one, the journey and the stay is as
fatal as any other.
Illegal
migrants have to risk everything when they set out on their journeys. It would
seem irrational for a human to pay a large sum of money for human traffickers
just to risk going through harsh circumstances or even lose their lives. However,
Ethiopian migrants reportedly pay from 90-120 thousand birr for traffickers to
get to South Africa. On their journeys, migrants are often forced to pay
additional money or have their relatives send the money at the price of their
lives.
It’s
no wonder that human trafficking is the third most lucrative illegal business
sector in the world preceded only by drug and arms trafficking.
Despite
these grim realities though, thousands of Ethiopians make the illogical
decision of migrating illegally using human traffickers every month. So what
are the factors that force them make these hasty decisions?
The
factors behind these risky decisions are generally categorized as push and pull
factors. Push factors are local problems that tempt people to consider the
option of illegal migration. These include poverty, social attitude to life
abroad, war, false promise of traffickers, family and peer pressure and unfair
wealth distribution in a country. The pull factors, on the other hand, refer to
perceived favorable conditions abroad that attract potential migrants. These
include considerable job opportunity and relative peace.
Experts
who have studied the issue closely say: “migration accelerates migration.” The
stories of the few who have made it are used as recruitment tools by middlemen.
This cycle of migration has led to a huge social, economic and political
problem in the country. Some of the major problems include:
Loss of the productive section of
the population: from mere physical absence in the
country to loss of life, human trafficking causes a huge loss of the productive
section of the population. With the youth making an overwhelming part of those
involved, the productive section of society is the most vulnerable of the economic
groups. Shocking data like the one cited above involving Hadiya youth renders
the problem concrete.
Exposure to unnecessary economic
bankruptcy: households and the nation as a whole are exposed
to preventable economic loss as families sell their houses and other assets to
send their sons and daughters on the risky journey to preferred destinations of
human trafficking.
Dependency Syndrome:
the remittance sent by those living abroad also leaves their relatives here develop
a sense of dependency. Instead of sorting their own life paths independently,
they tend to wait for the handouts from abroad.
Informal route for remittance:
migrants who do not have legal status in their host countries do not usually
use banks and other formal routes to transfer money. Instead, they send the
money through travelers. That hinders the formal route from reaping the
benefits.
Exposure to various diseases:
the hunger, thirst, lack of hygiene, rape and organ harvesting associated with
human trafficking exposed victims to various diseases.
Emigration aspiring generation:
the ‘migration accelerates migration’ cycle draws many reeling in the lucrative
business of human trafficking. The long term result is a generation aspiring to
live abroad instead of earning a decent living locally and working towards a
better nation.
Potential to harm bilateral
relations: a large number of illegal immigrants make it hard
for the host country to plan and implement social welfare policies. Negative
perceptions of a social group of the host population could breed distorted
image about a country. These perceptions slowly creep into the diplomatic
sphere harming bilateral relations. Measures taken by a host country targeting
a certain group could also strain bilateral ties.
The
remedial actions taken for long are criticized by experts as presupposing that
the legal framework is the only source of the remedy. Therefore, they centered
on building a legal infrastructure. Although it is vital to have those infrastructures
in place, experts recommend adopting a multiple remedial strategy. The recent
trends of involving the media, elders and various social institutions are
instances of the adoption of this strategy.
The
other main point to note is that human trafficking is not a one-time problem to
be tackled by a committee. Rather, it needs to be mainstreamed into all stake
holding sectors. The commitment required to root out the problem demands that
such daunting tasks are carried out fully.
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