OPINION | G7 & European Migrant Crisis

While the Mediterranean becomes a tomb, in Japan, the seven most powerful leaders of the world have had no doubt about the need to start the basic integration policies by providing assistance to migrants.

By Federica Fanuli

Editor-at-Large, IndraStra Global

Image Attribute: G7 Leaders at Ise-Shima Summit, 26 May 2016 / Source: Wikipedia

Barges loaded with refugees set sail from the regions tortured by conflict and eventually get overturned in the Mediterranean, the cemetery of a tragedy that seems to have no end. The agencies have recorded between 700 and 800 death and, whatever the difference between refugees driven to defy death for humanitarian or economic reasons, have a very little relevance. In both the cases, the phenomenon of immigration - which likes it or not, defines an emergency - is a question that waits for an answer. 

The weakness of the European Union reflects with respect to the inability of the European institutions in managing the immigration, a human tide that flows on our beaches. It is the Europe of those, who threatens by making proposition on the construction of walls and barbed-wire barriers that prevent refugees from entering into their territory. Adding to this the fear of terrorist attacks, which feeds a climate of distrust and threaten the diversity of this continent. 

It's true, Italy and Greece are the more exposed as countries than the others to the bad management of migratory flows, despite the best efforts depicted by the military to face the immigration, the problem of the reception and the identification. Whereas, there are very high risks with regards to potential jihadists, who can concealed behind the shocked faces of migrants and could take advantage of this decision-making vacuum to arrive in Europe by orchestrating attacks like those which rocked Paris and Brussels. 

From another end, it does not seem to have been sufficient punch in the agreement with Turkey, which fails in the various ways. As a matter of the fact, identification of the refugees could ensure protection to those who really need it and, on the other hand, reject the alleged terrorists. This would make it less onerous the work of the European States. In contrast, however, the closure of the Balkan route has prompted the refugees to choose the Mediterranean way, run by traffickers and smugglers. For this, new and old routes have been beaten to reach lands that offer the possibility of a respectable life, better than the absolute poverty, with bombs on the head or the risk of ending in the hands of butchers. The migrants are crammed tight aboard these boats, so that they can climb on many people as possible, completely abandoned to the fate of the sea. These boats does not follows any sort of safety regulations and sails without any basic necessities. But refugees does not abandon their final destination because of hope. The ships of shame become the scaffold of real executions and even the survivors talk about rapes. On the boats, the woman's body becomes the battlefield, a struggle that knows no humanity. 

While the Mediterranean becomes a tomb, in Japan, the seven most powerful leaders of the world have had no doubt about the need to start the basic integration policies by providing assistance to migrants, organizing communities that provide hospitality to cooperate with African and Middle Eastern partners. The G7 has started from the Italian proposal of Migration Compact and so, by the European Union from Japan, all are unanimously supporting the importance of acting together, to prevent of escalation of death, of raped women and children whose lives were prematurely interrupted by the man's fury. 

The world cannot continue to attend these daily dramas. The world cannot remain passive, just as it is no more time to fine words, corny speeches, tears of ritual for the occasion. It is the time to give concrete answers and if the financial investments are deemed to be useful in order to work collectively towards good management and control of migration, starting from company affiliation, an essential element is the attention to the direction that such funding should be undertaken, to not fuel corruption, illegal markets or, worst, to arm militias who could pass on to the other side of the battle front.

About the Author:     

Federica Fanuli (TR RID : M-9093-2015) was graduated with honours in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Salento and she has obtained a Master's Degree in Political Science, European Studies and International Relations from the same university. As a Foreign Affairs analysts, she is an editorial board member of the Institute of Global Studies, a columnist at The Sunday Sentinel, an editorial board member of Cosmopolismedia.it and Editor-at-Large at IndraStra Global. She can be reached at her Linkedin Profile.