A life with a blurred future

In periods of conflict, hunger is one of the main causes and consequences of forced migration. People affected by conflict not only experience a violation of their right to live a normal life but also to their right to access the most basic necessities. If conflict has restricted the ability to work, the capacity of farming land and the access of goods and basic services, their nutritional and food security is compromised.

The history of mass migration is a story of many tales, most of them with an introduction, a middle and an ending that never leads to a concrete conclusion, basically, it is like reading a book whose plot is a vicious circle that never has an end.

For several years, we have heard about the impact that this migration has brought to the majority of countries in Europe and to North and South America, thousands of people have lost their lives trying to achieve the dream of freedom and the desired future. Whilst some countries have opened their doors, others have been in charge of putting up fences, barriers and completely closing their borders, making it even more difficult to enter “paradise”.

The story is definitely a two-sided chronicle not always with a favourable outcome. Those who have had to escape taking their few savings and belongings with them are only encountering hopelessness, malnutrition and complete desolation, many of them losing their families and without the near possibility of returning to them.

For those who have reached the Promised Land, they find that the utopian dream is nothing more than a story told in the village merchants, in the refugee camps or in the evenings of social gatherings.

The truth is much more complex, for many of them, adaptation, acceptance and integration into a new society are increasingly threatened, access to work, housing and an affordable modus vivendi can take indefinite time.

In Europe, many migrants with professional degrees can spend years trying to apply for jobs and will never be called for an interview, until they realise that most institutions do not accept foreign qualifications, the enrolment and facility to access higher education is another difficult challenge. The unemployment rate for foreign-born citizens is more than double for those born in Europe. The aim is for new arrivals not to be doing black-market jobs; the debate about whether there should be looser rules that would allow them to work more easily is still unclear.

Housing is another big concern; Sweden for example has a huge squeeze on accommodation in major cities. Unless you have been in a queue for social housing for years, you are reliant on connections. The innovative ways some countries have addressed this issue deserve recognition. In Hamburg and Bremen, they actually turned shipping containers into homes for migrants. In Amsterdam, they took the same approach that housed 50% young Dutch people and 50% refugees. However, there are still issues.

Crimes committed by a minority of asylum seekers and refugees dominate the headlines and contributes to discrimination and lack of acceptance in their new home. This leads to the growth of groups that express their anti-migrant sentiments and hate. The perception for which this anti-migrant message is carried away and the distorted perception of the crisis has helped to gain a lot of strength in the population not only of Europe but also of the world.

It must be emphasised that thanks to the support of many charitable organizations and volunteers, the effort to help this part of the world population has been enormous, but there is still much more to do.

If we want to continue with this model of global cooperation and support, that promotes a level of dignity and security for everyone, we have to start by taking part in programs that help on matters such as cultural integration. Stimulating volunteering for any type of skills, encouraging universities and educational institutions to offer scholarships, offering job opportunities, hold awareness and fundraising events, encouraging donation, cooperation and working to create a social ideology more rooted in solidarity and kindness, starting from the family and professional ties and in government institutions.