People on the move, refugees, migrants, internally displaced… People with the few possessions they are able to carry on crowded lorries, buses, boats or, mostly, walking.. People moving away from conflict, war, persecution, drought, poverty and a variety of other situations, hoping for a better life elsewhere. People who have survived a perilous journey at sea and who are unable to disembark in inhospitable harbours; people in transit centres or camps, waiting to hear whether there is another destination; people separated from their loved ones, not knowing their whereabouts and lacking the means to find out; vulnerable people who have often been abused, whose hopes have been dashed and whose dignity, if not taken away, has been seriously dented.

Headlines are filled with stories of people on the move, causing compassion on account of the human tragedies so vividly depicted and recorded. Those headlines have also instilled fear in the hearts of those who see people on the move as potentially treading on their turf, changing their culture, taking their job and making their surroundings unsafe. The fear of uncontrolled and/or illegal immigration has become an important factor in politics, not only in the West but in many other parts of the world as well. This fear has helped the current US President and a few European leaders in their successful elections. It has been an important element in the Brexit vote. It is causing, in a number of locations, the polarization of both political parties and electorates, with views increasingly irreconcilable and, here and there, outcomes endangering acquired notions in terms of assistance, tolerance, protection and human rights. >>>Read More