Migrants and refugees deserve our respect

Hardly a day passes without breaking news of migrants and refugees. About a month ago, the world was shocked by a series of disasters in the Mediterranean that cost the life of more than 500 asylum seekers and migrants who had tried to reach Lampedusa and the southern shores of Europe on flimsy, crammed vessels. The phenomenon of people resorting to perilous journeys in search of protection or decent life opportunities is a major issue of our time.

From incidents reported last week from the Asia-Pacific, where a boat with 70 Rohingya men and women capsized, to the Sahara desert, where more than 90 stranded Niger migrants died, hazardous movements continue to take place on land or by sea. Such dreadful tragedies occur regularly but often go unnoticed. Take for example the Bab Al Mandab strait, where a narrow strip of water separates the Horn of Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

Over the past five years, more than half a million individuals (mainly Somalis, Ethiopians and Eritreans) have crossed the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to reach Yemen (and this figure does not count those who came before them). Reports of mistreatment, abuse, rape and torture among people who make the journey abound. Boats crossing to Yemen are overcrowded and smugglers are known to have thrown migrants overboard to prevent capsizing, or to avoid the coastguards. This causes hundreds of unheard casualties over the years. Moreover, the ordeal does not stop at the shores, since many of the new arrivals are abducted and subject to torture, hunger, exploitation and sexual abuse for ransom. In September 2013 alone, 2,529 migrants were reported to be kidnapped by smuggling gangs, with 30 sexual and gender based violence incidents recorded, together with 273 physical assaults and 198 migrant shootings upon arrival on the shores of Yemen.

The mixed migration movement from the East and Horn of Africa affects the region beyond Yemen. These flows involve asylum seekers fleeing conflict and persecution as well as migrants moving in search of a decent life and job opportunities in the Gulf States. Market forces are a factor, framed by the economic dynamics between the two regions. The Horn of Africa is stricken by conflict, insecurity, poverty, drought and famine whereas the Arabian Peninsula is home to booming economies with strong demand for labour. As long as there are such distinct economic inequalities between these two regions, people will continue to move to seek job opportunities, using Yemen as a gateway to the Gulf states. Those push and pull factors cannot be ignored or wished away. Irregular migration is almost inevitable when legal migration opportunities are limited.

We believe that global migration must be acknowledged and can be managed through better governance at the global, regional and national levels. This should start with the recognition that migrants move for several reasons and that refugees form part of mixed migration flows. Migrants and refugees are not passive recipients of assistance but bring with them significant strengths by the very fact that they managed to survive against enormous odds in the most hostile environments. While it is our duty to protect refugees and migrants from violence and abuse, we should harness the opportunities they offer with their energy, skills and resources not only to improve their own lives but also to contribute to the economic growth of receiving countries and to the social development of host communities.

It is precisely with the view to acknowledge the scope of the matter and better manage migration between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, that the Government of the Republic of Yemen is organising a Regional Conference on Asylum and Migration with the support of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This initiative aims at producing a workable regional plan with four main objectives :

(1) strengthen law enforcement to curtail smuggling and trafficking networks culpable of horrific human rights violations against migrants and refugees, and strengthen refugee protection;

(2) increase the possibilities for stranded migrants to return home in a humane and dignified manner through consistent and predictable funding to assisted return programmes;

(3) expand legal migration options between sending and receiving countries to cater for strong demand for low-skilled labour, particularly in the farming and cattle rearing sectors, which will reduce the risks posed by smugglers and traffickers;

(4) raise awareness of the grave dangers associated with irregular migration and possible alternatives to it, especially among sending communities.

Tangible progress towards these four objectives will contribute to improving access to refugee protection in the region, while mitigating the suffering of migrants and the difficulties faced by host communities.

Migrants and refugees are human beings, but less fortunate than most.Through sheer hard will and dogged perseverance, they have managed to survive and are striving to rebuild their lives in a foreign country. And refugees also need protection from conflict and persecution until it is safe for them to return home. Migrants and refugees deserve our respect.

Yemen has been, and continues to be, an extraordinarily generous refugee hosting country and pivotal transit hub for economic migration. Yemenis willingly share their limited resources and there is no hostility in their day to day interaction with foreigners.

The world must learn from Yemen’s generosity over the past decades, if we want to avoid future disasters like Lampedusa’s, Bab Al Mandab’s and the many others we may not hear about.

Bruno Geddo is UNHCR’s Representative for Yemen and Nicoletta Giordano is IOM’s Representative in Yemen.