Woman and child, Lesbos, 2015. Santi Palacios/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.Escaping wars, destruction and poverty is simply human. The unequal world in which we live has always created conditions for desiring escape.
When Europe calls the refugees’ desperate attempt to enter the continent a ‘migrant crisis’, we know that in reality it is a crisis caused by inequality, war and conflict, as a recent briefing released by Global Justice Now points out. With rich countries building up fences and strengthening their borders, the poor of developing countries lose their lives. According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 25,000 people have died in their attempt to reach or stay in Europe since 2000.
Last week, more than 700 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean over three separate crossings from Libya: the highest death toll of sea-crossing refugees in more than a year.
