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which part of the world you are visiting.
Massive numbers are fleeing from other coun-
tries to Europe and to other more prosperous
parts of the world. They come from Iraq and
Afghanistan. They come from many parts of
Africa and Asia. And they come for a wide
variety of reasons - some to flee war, some to
be free to practice their faith away from
persecution, some for political reasons. Many
come because they believe they will get a
better life here and some perhaps because
they wish to exploit the generosity or
resources of the richer nations.
It is clear that many come genuinely believing
that life will be better and more prosperous,
and it is therefore a huge shock for them to
find that they are not welcome and that they
cannot find work or a home. Those we have
talked to are prepared to work to pay their
way and are conscientious people who would
make good neighbours to us if they had had
the opportunities we have had. But work is
hard to come by, accommodation is in short
supply, and what they can find is often rough
and at least as bad as what they left behind.
And it seems that the capitalist West is quite
happy to pay low wages, and to allow poor
conditions and no franchise to those who have
no rights so they can provide us with the life
style we take from granted at rock bottom
prices. It doesn't sound much different from
exploitation or even slavery. It pays us to keep
the poor poor.
Carelinks | France
The provision for food, welfare and education
is very patchy across Europe and many such
people are exploited. Some countries like
Greece routinely imprison people and give
them no prospects. In Turkey many are
subject to persecution and violence. Young
women are particularly vulnerable and some
can be rather naive about what they will
experience. But many others are caught in a
vicious trap where they either have to accept
exploitation by people who are willing to use
their labour at low wages, or they may find
themselves turning to crime. We may wonder
why our government doesn’t send them back
- particularly those who have turned to crime
or who are here for no good reason. But there
is no simple solution. The situation is much
more complex than appears at first sight.
Even if the person cannot provide a good
reason to stay, then governments cannot
simply send the individual back to their
purported home country. The problem is that
there is considerable cost in repatriating
someone and in the absence of papers there
is no certainty that the original country will
accept back one of their own if they turn up
there. Take brother R. Who arrived in Latvia
a few years ago. Following the common advice
given to him before leaving Africa, he
destroyed his papers after he arrived. There
is now no way for him to prove his identity or
nationality. Even if he were given the money
to go home, no airline would accept a booking
from him without a passport and visa. Even if
The group enjoying a Bible discussion together
~ continued ...