Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/567101
14 THE last few weeks seem to have ushered in a profound change to the way Europe approaches its thorniest and darkest issue. Un- til recently, hysterical European politicians regularly sounded dire warnings about an 'invasion' by 'marauding migrants'. But a recent spike in fatalities on the Eastern Mediterranean route –and above all, the sudden circulation of truly harrowing images taken in Eu- rope's 21st century 'killing fields' – seem to have had an instant and emphatic impact on popular per- ception. If a single image could be high- lighted as epitomising this appar- ent paradigm shift, it would be the photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who washed up dead on the Turkish coast after the umpteenth failed attempt of a refugee family to reach the 'safe haven' of Europe. Leaving aside the obvious emo- tional impact of the photo itself, it seems to also give visual substance to all the concerns and misconcep- tions surrounding the complex issue of migration. The victims of this latest tragedy were clearly bona fide refugees, fleeing a brutal civil war. They evidently had a le- gal right to seek asylum in Europe; and the EU's own charters compel its member states to grant such people protection. Yet they still drowned while try- ing to reach their destination ille- gally. Katrine Camilleri, legal advi- sor to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) since 1996, has been deeply involved in migration issues for almost two decades. For about as long she has been advocating – along with other humanitarian NGOs – the creation of safe, legal means for asylum seekers to get to Europe without entrusting life and limb to unscrupulous human traf- fickers. Does she share the sensation – palpable across European media at the moment – that the recent Syr- ian crisis, with its shocking images of dead babies and grieving par- ents, has somehow forced a popu- lar rethink about the issue? And if so, is it because the crisis is indeed worsening… or just because we are now more exposed to a reality that was previously hidden from view? "To some extent it's always been this way," she begins thoughtfully. "Maybe it's been a hidden reality to a certain extent; maybe we only saw the statistics. But men, women and children have been dying on Europe's doorstep, and drowning in our seas, for years. It didn't start now. Even in Malta, we know per- sonally so many parents who have lost children… and so many chil- dren who have lost their parents. We've had dead bodies brought here, but we've also dealt with the survivors. This has been a reality for years…" All the same, Camilleri acknowl- edges that there has been a change in rhetoric over the past few weeks. But she quickly points out that for all this change, the core policies governing the asylum question in Europe have largely remained the same. "It's about time Europe woke up. But Europe should have woken up a long time ago. I appreciate all the public statements and declarations of sympathy and commitment that inevitably follow tragedies such as the picture of that toddler on the beach. Completely heart-breaking. If that doesn't move us, nothing will. But the truth is that all this outpouring of grief and solidarity is never followed up by anything that would really make a difference..." And while the death toll has al- ways been high, she also confirms that the global refugee crisis is in- deed deepening. "It is true that the number of forcibly displaced people in this region of the world – from coun- tries literally on our doorstep – is increasing. And the number has increased drastically in the last few months. The prolonged conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan… Af- ghanistan has long been a major refugee-producing country: hun- dreds of thousands flee the country each year. Then, right next door to us, there's Libya: another country in turmoil…" Libya has long been a country of transit for refugees, but the recent chaos has also caused the displace- ment of Libyans who now need protection: something rarely seen in previous years. "Because of the breakdown of law and order, and other factors – Libya is a very complex situation – it has become much easier for human traffickers to operate freely in that country. So traffic on the central Mediter- ranean route has increased…" Not as much, however, as the Eastern and Baltic routes; and here, Camilleri adds, is where the real difference is now being felt. "When you look at the nationali- ties of people crossing from Tur- key, Greece or the Balkans: who are these people? Mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis. We are living at the edge of a region that is in complete turmoil. It is inevitable that people in that region will flee for their lives. We would do the same. And this problem is com- pounded by the fact that Europe has been unable to respond satis- factorily to the crisis. It was unable to respond even before, when the numbers were lower. Even today, Europe has not yet developed the capacity to respond effectively. Some would say it cannot respond at all…" It's as though, while sensitivities towards this topic are arguably shifting, the political spokes that have always been stuck in Europe's wheels seem to have remained firmly in place. "What is ironic is that, when gov- ernments or states talk about this issue today, their primary concern is still their own national self-in- terest. It is still a question of reduc- ing, as far as possible, the number of people arriving in 'my' country. It's fine to talk about a co-ordinat- ed political response at European level; but for that to actually hap- pen we need to move away from the purely nation-centric approach based on self-interest, towards a truly European approach based not only on the needs of the state, but also on the needs of people seeking protection…" This, she points out, is not just desirable but also a legal obligation according to Europe's own laws. However, this view is also hotly contested, in a Europe where most people seem to think that legal obligations exist only for asylum seekers… who become 'illegal im- migrants' because they broke the law while trying to exercise their human rights. "States are obliged to grant pro- tection to asylum seekers in their jurisdiction. The truth is that in many cases, asylum seekers have no choice but to travel illegally. If our point of departure is going to be that these people 'shouldn't be here' because they got here il- legally… it's an argument that is destined to fail. "It simply does not take into ac- count the reality faced by the peo- ple who are fleeing. The truth is that few people leave their coun- try, and even fewer risk their lives to travel in those conditions, un- less they have to. Of course, some people leave because they want to; but clearly, here we are not talking about that category of person. "We are talking about people fleeing wars in which hundreds of thousands have died, or extremely Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2015 Action speaks louder than