Italian tragedy

Death of migrant workers

Though China, with every passing day, continues to increase its economic and military might, the United States remains the 'Land of Dreams' where people from around the world flock in search of quality education, lucrative jobs and better overall lives. The modern-day United States was built by European settlers starting early eighteenth century. But before the discovery of the New World, Europe, the cradle of the first industrial revolution, was the place to be and the cosmopolitan London the undisputed capital of the world. But in recent times as Asia and continental America have raced ahead, most of Europe has been in a stasis. This economic swoon and the resulting paucity of jobs and social security are creating a well of discontent at the heart of Europe.

This in turn has boosted radical parties everywhere: France (National Front), Italy (Northern League), the UK (UKIP). They have been quick to capitalize on the public perception that immigrants, both from within Europe and outside it, are taking up the few jobs that are still available in the wake of the global financial crisis starting 2007. Spooked by sudden electoral gains of these fringe outfits, mainstream parties too have had to stoke the latent anti-immigration feelings of Europeans.

The result is greater curbs on immigration. In the process maritime European borders have been tightened to check infiltration of asylum seekers from Africa. But this seemingly trivial policy measure has had catastrophic consequences. Early on Saturday, up to 900 migrants from Africa died when their overcrowded boat sank off the Italian coast. Again, on the surface, it is hard to fault Europe. Surely it is rapacious middlemen involved in transporting people in rickety, overcrowded boats from battle-scarred African countries like Somalia and Libya who are responsible for such tragedies. But dig a little deep and you see a continent so scared of migrants that it is now struggling to uphold its humanitarian duties. Responding to increasing deaths off its coast, Italy had in 2013 instituted a program called Mare Nostrum whose remit was to save lives through timely search and rescue of migrants who got into accidents on Italian waters. But despite its huge success—it is credited with rescuing more than 160,000 migrants a year—it was closed down last year owing to budget constraints. Back in November, the European Union started its own program, Triton, for the same purpose. But shamefully, the program has a third of Mare Nostrum's budget. As a result European maritime border guards have no equipment with which to help migrants in distress in high seas.

This year's death toll in the Mediterranean Sea is thought to have already surpassed 1,500 victims, notes The New York Times, our sister publication, a drastic spike from the same period last year. Under the status quo this number can be expected to increase as the coming warm weather will, if history is any guide, bring more desperate migrants to Europe's shores. It's not our intention to use the tragedy off Italy to beat the Europeans over their heads. But it's worth pointing out that Europe's apathy to the plight of those seeking succor in its shores is at odds with the humanitarian values it likes to champion. In Nepal's case as well, some EU members have in recent times pushed controversial constitutional agendas in the name of protecting the rights of marginalized communities. Perhaps the most marginalized people in the world—politically, economically, socially—are the desperate migrants looking to escape the brutal wars in Africa. Does Europe, we wonder have its priorities wrong?