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O.E.V. Fernando: Global Impact of Migration
Written by Oscar E.V. Fernando, former member, Sri Lanka Human Rights Task Force; Director of Finance/Administration, Sri Lanka Foundation
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Minority issues arise from within a small religious group or larger ethnic group living side by side with a majority ethnic/religious community, due to differing persuasions and aspirations. Several factors can produce minority communities. These are:
- an ethnic group absorbed into a nation due to historical reasons
- people brought into the country by colonial rulers to provide labor
- people migrating to a country due to overcrowding in their own country
- people who have escaped their country to neighboring countries as refugees
- people who have migrated to a country looking for greener pastures
- indigenous people who have become a minority in their own land because of migration from elsewhere
- people who have developed separate identities because of their religion
Minority groups may differ from majority groups in customs, likes or dislikes, interests, or concerns. They may like to read newspapers that are different from those read by a majority, wanting news that reflect their own issues. Minority news needs may be different from that of the rest of the population, who represent a different background. They may want to know about their own sacred places and preserve their language from potential disappearance.
Minorities also want to conserve the nature and understanding the history of the area which they may call their homeland after years of habitation, regardless of their historical roots. They want schools to educate their students in keeping with their religious and moral beliefs and economic values.
When considering the question of minorities, shouldn’t we also recognize that some of the minority are marginalized either as people of mixed race or as people trying to fit into the mainstream society?
In solving the problems of minorities, consideration must be given to those members of a minority group who are scattered in the wider society, and provisions may have to be made to safeguard their rights as well as the rights of majority members living in minority areas.
Minority demands can differ according to the age groups, depending on the history of the minority in a country. If the minority is a separate ethnic group whose members had left their original country as refugees, then the progeny of such refugees will have different concerns than the elders who originally left the country, mainly due to the impact of other cultures on them. Refugees returning to their country of origin may be mainly younger parents and their siblings, who are alien to their previous generation’s minority demands.
If the nucleus of a minority is an offshoot of the majority religion, they may share the majority interests in every aspect of national life other than religion. Ipso facto, they would resent being called a minority! If, however, they are a minority because they have a different language and culture, they may have little in common with mainstream society beyond sharing national borders and a national government.
The problems of a minority group may be looked at in a different perspective if such a minority shares kindred interests with people in a border country. Thus, the majority may fear that they will become a minority in case there is a power shift forming a minority “homeland.”
If the minorities are new immigrants or refugees, they may desire to build a new life in the country where they have chosen to live, have their children educated there, receive pensions, buy their goods, use the country's medical services, visit sporting venues, and be able to take part in the social life of the country. This requires concerted and positive educational efforts by the country of destination to define the parameters of living in this new environment.
There may also be a feeling among some members of the majority that the minority population is taking away jobs, following strange customs, retaining ethnic practices, or causing political divisions. In such cases, both the minority and majority need education and perhaps state intervention.
Minorities may be vulnerable to human trafficking and drug trade and the resulting sexual exploitation and forced labor, to which these “migrants” become victimized because of the scourge of poverty. Well-organized, disciplined groups of people involved in the trafficking of humans, drugs and firearms are often also involved in kidnapping and smuggling of “migrants.” Both the country of origin as well as the country of destination will find it extremely difficult to identify and fix charges on such traffickers.
Destination countries can assist these innocent victims by not patronizing those who exploit cheap labor or run sweat shops. They need to take steps to protect victims from the inherent dangers of illegal cross-border transportation. Many victims lose their lives from being locked up in shipping containers or the backs of trucks without adequate air, food, or water. Women and children are especially vulnerable.
People on both sides may gain from this type of "migration." Human beings so trafficked may find respectable jobs and contribute to the society in which they arrive. In spite of the difficulties, once they have arrived, the destination countries should make every attempt to welcome such "migrant" workers, help them find employment, and make them feel they belong, based on the oneness of humanity. These migrants should not be treated as criminals, but be treated as normal immigrants with human dignity. Isn’t this migration a human right, since no one would leave their country of origin in such risky fashion unless they were desperate due to poverty, malnutrition, or unemployment?
Viewing this matter from a historical viewpoint, one may conclude that colonization was partly the cause of this global imbalance, which has now resulted in this type of migration. It may be good to ponder that the colonization of some countries by the West after the explosion of the industrial revolution brought about certain disparities in the colonized countries; for example, some people were conscripted as laborers by the colonial powers and brought to another country, becoming minority communities that impinge on the social and political structure of a country like Sri Lanka (this refers to a portion of the Sri Lankan Tamil population who were brought to the country to be plantation workers).
Sri Lanka, or Ceylon, was called the granary of the east before colonization. Although the colonizers left a substantial legacy, it has now dissipated due to the colonized getting back on their feet after the destabilization of their social and economic structure by colonization.
From one viewpoint, colonization and the industrial revolution brought development. In retrospect, there is also a sense of deep resentment in the colonized countries, one manifestation being the international terrorism that is attempting to destroy the current world order. This is a point to be pondered by both the developed and so-called developing worlds.
It cannot be denied that the West is materially advanced, but for the sake of world peace it is important that the disparity between the developed and developing worlds be addressed in a historical perspective.
The mobility of labor, especially in the global situation where there is unequal distribution of resources and wealth, is a healthy phenomenon from the perspective of the world's minorities. But for the global community to benefit there must be proper planning. If each country is left to handle it on their own, exploitation will flourish further and this time perhaps through economic imperialism, which must be stemmed to prevent further world terrorism!
To welcome migrants from the so-called developing countries is an expression of solidarity and altruism. It's a demonstration of conviction in the oneness in humanity under One Godhead, as propounded by the Universal Peace Federation.