Geo4b Flashcards
Define an economic migrant?
Someone who migrates to improve their standard of living, usually by finding work
Define a displaced person/refugee?
A person forced to leave their home but intends to return e.g. through war
Define an asylum seeker?
A person fleeing persecution (e.g. religious/political) in their home country, seeking asylum in another
Define dependency ratio?
A ratio of dependents (Under-15 and over-65) to the total population
Define human trafficking?
Process of illegally transporting people from one country to another
What is Libya’s role in African migration?
- main route for migrants since 2011 when Gaddafi was overthrown
- incredibly porous borders, no functioning government
- now receiving £170mn from EU, essentially as a ransom
- estimated some 600,000 migrants are ready-and-waiting to leave Libya
Facts about Climate Change and Problems caused by it?
- Libya, Chad and Niger temp. risen by 1C
- famine, as farming becomes far more unreliable
- 363,000 children in Somalia suffering from malnutrition
- 10,000 died due to drought
- 1/2 Sahelians are affected by drought
Facts about Conflict and Problems caused by it?
- 1.9 million displaced by conflict (1m in South Sudan)
- AQIM forming a coalition to oppose Malian army
- increase in terrorism since 2010 (22 deaths in Niger capital hotel attack)
- IS bombing Russian passenger jet
- targeting tourism heavily affects local economy
- Libya saw 145 attacks in 2013
- civil war, notably in South Sudan driving at least 1mn migrants to Uganda
Facts about Poverty and Problems caused by it?
- wealth is not “trickling-down”
- oil exporting is clearly not the solution
- HIPCs unable to remedy their situation without help
- corruption to widespread to make aid effective enough
- extreme weather intensifies poverty by disrupting agriculture
Agadez, Niger - Context, facts, figures and role?
- pre-2011, was a small town of 120,000
- Niger is ranked at the bottom of the UN Development Index
- very vulnerable to militancy and extremism
- little economic activity, besides some African tourism
- post-2011, long-locked routes reopened and Agadez became de-facto smuggling capital of the Sahel
- smugglers facilitate journey through Sahara, the most dangerous part of the journey according to migrants
- hundreds of trucks and pickups follow a military convoy every Monday
- journey through Niger to border costs roughly £200
- smugglers can earn up to £1000/wk
- at least 18 transit houses
- regional economy is now dependent on migrant trade
Demographics Facts About Migrants
- 90% are men
- 10% are minors (majority of which are unaccompanied)
- are these minors really underage, or just claiming for legal protections?
- mostly uneducated farmers who don’t know much about Europe but know they will be able to send remittances
EU Response to Niger’s role the Migrant Crisis?
- $2bn EU fund setup
- through political pressure, Nigerien government banned human smuggling in 2015
- 102 arrested, 9 police officers arrested, 95 vehicles seized
- new law has reduced numbers by up to 10x in Agadez
- despite progress in Agadez, overall numbers to Europe are not decreasing
- just moved elsewhere or deeper underground?
- migrants must now pay more and take riskier routes
- smugglers profits rise, although risk does too
How Dangerous is the journey? - In figures
- 7/13 31 dead of Lampedusa
- 9/13 13+ dead off Sicily
- 10/13 300+ dead off Lampedusa, 12 dead off Egypt coast, 92 dead in Sahara near Libya
- 4/14 4000+ land on Italy’s shores in 2 days
What are the 3 main types of migrant smuggling?
AD HOC SMUGGLING SERVICES: migrants travels on their own, occasionally using smuggling services to cross borders or obstacles
MIGRANT SMUGGLING THROUGH MISUSE OR ABUSE OF DOCUMENTS: migrants who can afford to use this type of smuggling often have enough money to purchase visas and other documents
PRE-ORGANISED STAGE-TO-STAGE SMUGGLING: the whole journey is organised and migrants are accompanied for most of it by smugglers
How long can the journey take, and why?
- up to several years
- often so desperate to leave home country they will only have funds for one leg of journey
- most stop, work and save for next leg
- can be arrested and detained without due process
- can be exploited along way (sex trade or debt bondage)
- must use many different groups as each specializes on their home turf (Sahara crossing vs. Med crossing)
- for those with means pre-organised stage-to-stage smuggling is the way to go
Tribes involved in Smuggling?
- Tubu (currently dominating the market) and Tuareg
- both based in southern Libya where border is not operating
Changes routes?
- Europe is not the only destination
- many head east through Yemen to Gulf States/Israel
- since 2013, crackdowns in the Gulf States have caused many to divert to Europe (use Saudi 1800km fence along Yemen)
- only 36 irregular migrants crossed into Israel in the first nine months of 2013
What is nationality swapping?
- claiming to be of a different nationality to have a better chance of receiving international protection (Mali, Eritrea and Syria are popular choices)
Risks of the journey?
- due to desperation and lack of social safety net, migrants of susceptible to human trafficking
- sexual exploitation, forced labour/services and debt bondage
- difficult to differentiate between smuggled and trafficked migrants
- estimated 10,000 Nigerian prostitutes in Italy
- journey often begins voluntarily and ends forced trafficking
- extortion of migrants is rife in Libya, where there is no functioning govt
Benefits of Migration to Italy?
- migrants taxes fund 600,000 pensions
- 18.1% of new companies registered in 2014 were migrant owned
- migrants take low paid jobs that other Italians do not want
- Italy has an ageing population and the influx of migrants keeps the dependency ratio lower
Costs of Migration to Italy?
- 320,000 asylum seekers and other migrants arrive in Italy, costing £3bn
- integration has been largest unsuccessful
- migrants brought disease, 1/3 are said to have Hep. C
Benefits of Migration to Germany?
- Germany’s population is ageing and shrinking, immigrants resupply the labour market
- migrants contribute more in taxes and social security than they receive
Costs of Migration to Germany?
- lack of assimilation
- locals are unhappy with number of migrants and have staged protests
- female immigrants are 2x as likely to be unemployed as German women
What is the EU’s Quota system?
A refugee quota system which will see 120,000 refugees distributed across the EU
- opposed by central and eastern EU nations (Czechia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia)
Is the EU quota system fair?
- must know how it is calculated
- 40% GDP, 40% population and 20% corrective factors
- unfairly weighted towards eastern states
- e.g. Average German is 5x richer than Romania and there are 4x as many Germans, so Germany should take 20x more migrants but only takes 7x more
- probably not, but difficult issue
What is the purpose of the quota system?
- to reduce strain on southern EU nations
- temporarily assist and process applications of migrants in a distributed way
- migrants will move as soon as possible to richer EU states so it is not a permanent solution to the distribution of migrants
