Dying to Work: African Migration to Italy: Borders V. Humanity
Posted: 26 Mar 2014
Date Written: 2014
Abstract
Kebrat, a 24 year-old Eritrean woman was laid out with the bodies of some of the 350 would-be immigrants who died when their boat caught fire and capsized October 2013, just off the Italian Island of Lampedusa. Suddenly she started to vomit water and fuel. "I am escaping from the devastation caused by the war," she told a reporter. "I am seeking a better life in Italy. I am searching for work. I have lived for years in fear." Over the past 20 years, more than 25,000 would-be immigrants to Europe, mostly Italy, Spain and Greece, have drowned in the Mediterranean. This continuing violence is causing Italian and other European leaders to rethink their policies and look for a more humane way to respond to the desperate attempts of African migrants to find work and freedom. But this seemingly endless flow of migrants to Europe from Africa has also ignited a backlash against the invasion. The issue pits theories of humanity and human rights against arguments of borders and sovereignty. In Italy, conservative politicians such as former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sought curbs on illegal migration but ran into business support for hiring them as Italy faces an aging and declining native population. Right wing calls for returning illegal migrants to their port of origin ran into public opposition in Italy. Pope Francis made his first trip to the Island of Lampedusa where he called for humane treatment of immigrants. The paper examines both the theoretical debates as well as the humanitarian issues involved. It argues that a political and humane response are not contradictory and involves a more orderly and intentional recruitment of migrant laborers, as well as stronger international controls along the North African coast to prevent undocumented voyagers from risking their lives. The study is based on interviews in Italy, archival materials, and a review of relevant literature.
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