Life on hold.
The migrant story, as told by citizens throughout the ages
In collaboration with Dareen Nasr, De'Graft Mensah and Daniela Arreola
Migration has played a fundamental part in forming a lot of the world as we know it today. From language to food, migration has been a way for humans share ideas and different ways of living.
The story of modern day migration has been told from many different aspects but usually it is very much so a two sided story; the emotion driven narrative of the migrant and that of the government of said country.
Which lead us to ask a series of questions.
What about the the viewpoint of the citizens?
Are citizens the reason behind why migrants cannot fully integrate into societies?
Does culture play into the confrontation of cultures?
Amongst many more of course.
In terms of research, this is an area that has very little research done on it which is why an essay like this is vital. As stated in the video above, there are multiple sides to one story and as story tellers ourselves, we felt as if this side of the story needed to be heard. The first destination of said story takes place in Lebanon, where we explore how citizens of Lebanon are currently reacting to the current Syrian refugee situation. We then take a look at London’s reaction to Indian migrants in the past and all that entailed with that. Finally, but by no means least, we take a look at how Mexico continues to struggle with the ongoing migrant situation of its own.
The current situation; Lebanon’s story
Since the Syrian crisis began in 2011, Lebanon has witnessed a growing influx of Syrian refugees.
Due to its open border policy with Syria and relatively unrestricted access to Syrian refugees and other factors Lebanon is one of the most obvious destinations for Syrians trying to escape the civil war, and around 1.2 million have registered there with the UNHCR. This whole situation is likely to further increase tensions at the local level between hosting communities and Syrian refugee especially due to the enormous pressure which is put on basic services, namely water, sanitation, education, healthcare systems and economy.
Over 90% of Lebanese nationals perceive Syrian refugees as both symbolic and economic threats and over two thirds perceive refugees as an existential threat (Harb & Saab, 2014). In fact the enormous rate of syrian migration to Lebanon had a massive impact on the services and support that are available to both Lebanese people and the host communities, as well as to the Syrian refugees themselves. The World Bank said up to 170,000 Lebanese could be pushed into poverty by the Syrian crisis (Harb & Saab, 2014).Therefore, Lebanese citizens have the right to be worried about having vacancies in the lebanese job market due to the competition with Syrian refugees.
“We have covered larger sections of Lebanon and we have become too many to the extent that the Lebanese cannot tolerate us any longer. They have also increased their authority and control over us at work. Even some of them have stopped paying us our salaries. The hard living conditions are not the only reasons that make Syrian refugees line up at the doors of UNHCR, but also because in Lebanon they don’t feel that they are outside the Syrian crisis. Everyone in Lebanon wants to know where we are from, who we belong to. or who we support. This way, the Lebanese choose to deal with us based on our backgrounds.”
In fact, in some areas in Lebanon Syrian refugees aren’t well treated and there’s hatred between both communities. Falling into the problematic of media reporting in Lebanon when dealing with the question of racism against Syrian refugees is the continued focus on reporting “racist behavior,” whether in support or in condemnation. Either way, it is being enforced as the media fails to look into what drives it, what encourages it, and what are the conditions that are nourishing its propagation within society.A Syrian refugee, when asked how Lebanon was treating him, lamented and said:
“How is it treating me? It isn’t treating me, it treats my money. Because of the nature of my job (veterinarian) I’m dealing with middle upper class Lebanese who only make their judgments based on money. They see that I’m here spending, and they see that I too come from the middle classes so they don’t show as much bigotry as it is normally the sentiment against us (Syrians) in Lebanon”.
In addition to that, 90% of Lebanese nationals supported nightly curfews and restrictions on political freedom for syrian refugees. In almost every town in Lebanon, Syrian refugees are treated with strict policies and regulation since they are perceived as corrupt threat on many lebanese citizens.
On the other side of the migration story in Lebanon, and according to UNHCR, the Lebanese communities have been hosting and supporting the Syrian refugees far beyond any other country in the region. In 2013, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly with the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) launched the “Lebanese Host Communities Support Project” (LHSP) as a comprehensive, coordinated and durable response towards the Syrian Refugee Crisis and its implications on the country. This project seeks to help increase stability in the areas affected by the Syrian crisis through improving livelihood and service provision in a conflict sensitive manner. It aims at contributing to improve community security, economic recovery and social well-being in the affected areas through a community based approach which will increase livelihood options and local level service delivery. As a result, this project has achieved rapid employment schemes incentives implemented in some areas in Lebanon and dialogue between local governments and civil society promoted for needs assessment and decision making regarding the improvement of services and livelihood in the targeted areas. Therefore, the negativity that might be shown in some people’s attitude is because of the economical withdraw that was caused by the Syrian immigration since 2011. However, Lebanese communities are responsive to any attempt that will solve the problem of migration crisis in lebanon. Local citizens have always been welcoming to all immigrants that come to Lebanon such as the palestinian refugees who have been living in the country for more than 50 years.
Government’s response and action
Since 86% of Syrian refugees live in 242 villages in Lebanon that are considered to be poor, the Lebanese and Syrians are becoming partners in deprivation (Gebara, 2015).Therefore, the Lebanese government has decided to share the economic burden by expanding the humanitarian response to include a more structured developmental and institutional approach benefiting Lebanese institutions, communities and infrastructure. In 2015, the government has undertaken three major steps towards managing the Syrian’s displacement into Lebanon.First, the government has adopted a “Policy Paper on Syrian Crisis” and introduced new “Borders Measures” with Syria. Second ,the government of Lebanon and the United Nations have launched “The Lebanon Crisis Response Plan for 2015–2016 (LCRP). On another level, the government has decided to educate Syrian refugee children in lebanon. The Lebanese government agreed to open public schools in the country to provide accredited education to Syrian refugees; legally the Syrian children can attend public schools as well as private schools if they can afford the tuition fees, and they are allowed to enroll in spite of missing two years or more of schooling. So last year the Ministry of Education opened selected public schools for second-shift schooling only for the Syrian children. That created more educational opportunities for another 45,000 Syrian children making the number of the Syrian students enrolled in Lebanese public schools in both shifts 90,000, yet still leaving more than two thirds of Syrian children in Lebanon without educational opportunities.
Comparison between citizen’s response and government’s response reveals that they are both willing to support and help Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
In conclusion, Lebanon now hosts more than one million Syrian refugees, representing 25% of the population. This is the world’s highest number of refugees per inhabitant. ILt’s worth mentioning that the local media has played a role in narrating one side of the migration story in Lebanon. It has been mostly showing the negative attitude of Lebanese citizens towards syrian immigrants and their racism against Syrian refugees.The process of welcoming all these refugees in Lebanon needs transparency in media and all kind of support. More actions should be taken to narrow down the gap between the Lebanese community and the Syrian immigrant in order to achieve social cohesion in the country.
From India to England; a story of deep history
Migration from India to England, or broadly speaking the United Kingdom, lies deeply in a realm of colonialism.
According to the Office of National Statistics, the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics, the majority of all foreign nationals in the United Kingdom are of Indian decsent. Most specifically speaking though, these people are consist of those who were actually born in India itself. Question is, how are the people of England reacting to this form of immigration. If we are to go by the reaction of previous Prime Minister David Cameron, it would appear that the UK are being very receptive to Indian migrants. In 2013, The Telegraph (British newspaper), reported that the then Prime Minister claimed that that Britain would be “incredibly welcoming” if India students were to go to the UK to study and work.
According to a Freedom of Information request carried out by the British Broadcasting Corporation, thousands of NHS nursing and doctor posts lie vacant and many people were travelling as far as India to apply. This information was then further developed by hindustantimes.com who claimed that the National Health Service were actively trying to hire Indian employees.
However, the migration story starts from way before then.
In 1617, the British East Indian company was formed, signalling Britain’s initial presence in India.
Then in 1847, Punjabis served in the British Army and were often sent to other colonies during the time of the Empire. The British Empire often relied on Indian troops to maintain and carry out their imperial power.
Fast forward into modern history and we see the United Kingdom in a state of labour shortage in terms of employment which created a way in which Indian migrants could come to the UK to carry out jobs in manufacturing, textile, servie and a significant number at Heathrow Airport.
Put simply: India and Britain have a strong and deep ‘relationship’ to say the least.
Question in, from the 1600’s to post world war Britain, how have the British citizens react to their newfound members?
Due to the lack of research done in this area, we can only look at the progress the Indian community and also compare it with the progress of other communities.
For example, as you can see in the image to the left, there was a time in English history where there was high racial dislike for those of afro-carribean heritage and those of Irish heritage. However, due to the integration of Indians into the labour force and the healthcare system so early on, one could argue that they were integrated better into society than other groups. Well, that’s until you remember Winston Churchill’s infamous quote about Indians when he said:
I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.
Which would lead us to believe that the environment for Indians at the time cannot have been the most pleasant if statements like this were being accepted by officials such as Churchill.
40 years on and this is the situation
Every year hundreds of people travel throughout Mexico hoping to reach the United States’ American Dream.
Most of the people come from countries of Central America, such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador because either they’re looking for better economic opportunities or they’re running away from gang violence. However, their journey through Mexico is very dangerous. Along the way, immigrants encounter different obstacles, such as murderers, robbers, drug cartels, gangs and rapists. All the money they possess is spent on bribes for the military and drug cartels, like “Los Zetas”, in exchange for not being tortured or killed.
The people that abandon their homes in Central America to cross Mexico in order to arrive to the United States do not posses any kind of documentation to enter or stay in the country and therefore the moment they cross the south border to Mexico they are no longer treated as people, for many they are considered as cargo.
Government measures for the migrants in Mexico
In order to address the issue of migration the Mexican Government has undertaken several campaigns aimed at the protection of the migrants by trying to reduce the presence of the organized crime. These programs called “Frontera Sur” (South border) in Mexico and “Plan para la Prosperidad” (Plan for prosperity) in the countries of Central America are being described as an implementation to face security problems affecting their communities. The result of implementing these programs has lead into an increase of immigrant deportation back to their countries of origin. Also there has been an increase in the physical and socioeconomic vulnerabilities they already used to have. Now the migrants look for other routes to take on their trip through Mexico, they try to avoid wherever there might be migratory patrols, by doing that it’s more possible for them to encounter gangs that will rob them their belongings or even kidnap them to extort their families and ask to their families in Central America for a ransom. These are restrictive policies and do not protect the migrants or helps them at all, it actually makes their journey more difficult
During an interview with Humans Rights Watch a Honduran’ migrant gave a testimony of his experience after being kidnapped in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz by a gang in Mexico, he said:
We arrived in Coatzacoalcos with our guide. The same guide turned us over to the [armed gang known as the] Zeta. There were 15 of us in the group. All 15 were kidnapped … It was the morning after we arrived. Some men came to the place we were staying. Some had guns; others had machetes. They started threatening us. ‘If we don’t get the money, we’ll kill you.’ . . . We had to pay the money. There wasn’t any other way. They burned me with an electric cord to get me to call my family. I called, and my family arranged to send 43,000 lempiras [approximately $1,950]. They gave us a name to send the money to.
Central American migrants in Mexico, why some provide hospitality and others violence?
Has it always been like this? Mexico as many other countries around the word has experienced the phenomenon of migration, from the Spanish refugees running from the Spanish Civil War to the South Americans seeking for a place to stay while they’re escaping the military dictatorships in their countries.
During the last decades Mexico has experienced a new way of migration mainly from the people living in Central America. There is a sector of the Mexican society who stigmatizes and mistreats the migrant; meanwhile there is another group of people that protects and fights for the migrants’ human rights.
The main human rights violations the migrants suffer are discrimination, robberies, rape, extortion, corruption and kidnapping. The reason why these acts as a transgression to the migrant’s own integrity are done is because the condition of vulnerability is an intrinsic characteristic of the migrant the moment he or she enters Mexico and because an indifference of a segment of the population who rejects them for the simple fact that they are not part of their communities.
Aside from the discrimination, social exclusion and inhuman treatment the migrant receives, there have been groups of people who have organized in order to protect the migrants and their rights. The basic principles of these organizations are hospitality and solidarity; they encourage the civic participation and collaboration between human being, most of these groups are funded either by people who experienced migration by firsthand, priests or religious groups and students. Some examples of them are:
Sin Fronteras IAP (Without Borders)
Servicio Jesuita a migrantes en México (Jesuit Service to migrants in Mexico)
Soy Migrante (I’m a migrant)
Comité de familiares de migrantes de El Progreso (Committee of migrants family from El Progreso)
Hermanos en el camino (Brothers on the road)
It should be noted that there is actually little research on the topic about the reasons of how and why the citizens living in the countries that host the migrants react in a negative or positive way towards them. The exposure media gives to this topics is either negative or it is given a very little space. However the problem is not the lack of regularizations concerning the control of migration, the problem resides on the lack of infrastructure to put implement them. To keep the promise of receiving migrants with open arms the Government of the hosting countries as well as the citizens must respond in kind.
This story was created by a team of students at the 2016 Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change. It exists as part of a digital publication which explores how personal stories and human connections can enable us and others to be more inclusive, responsive, and understanding of migrants and the socio-political-cultural impacts of migration.
