Human Rights and Wrongs

If I ruled the world...

I might be oversimplifying slightly here, but to me the world is like this: Nobody chooses which parents to be born to, so nobody chooses which country to born into either. There is no person in charge dividing up the people into good and bad, rich and poor, those who deserve a prosperous nation, those who deserve chaos and starvation. Therefore if something happens in 'your' country which you don't like (let's say war, or famine, but also persecution or lack of economic opportunity) and you wish to find a better life for yourself and your family, I say go for it. I say countries with better positions have a duty to cater for those from deprived areas. History, geography, such a wide range of factors contribute to the situation of countries in the world today that I simply don't understand those who say 'don't come here, we only have enough for ourselves, never mind that you have suffered, you're not our problem.'
When people in Europe are heard saying that Europeans have any number of their own problems, I am sympathetic. But I cannot see how this leads to 'so why should we accept refugees into our country?' Maybe because every human has certain rights that need to be respected. Maybe because there are some situations that are so awful that many ways of life that are 'sub-standard' to some Europeans would be seen as an improvement. Or maybe even because refugees can contribute to their new countries in valuable ways. Maybe because real integration can lead to enriched cultures and open-minded citizens. In general people don't want to leave their lives, their families, their friends, their jobs, their culture behind. Dreadful situations lead to drastic action. If they have to go, they have to go. Everyone who has taken such a choice deserves to be listened to and treated with respect.
Lack of respect upsets me, but exploitation and money-grabbing makes my blood boil. To be told that people working within certain structures processing refugee applications take a significant amount of money from these desperate people in exchange for fast-tracking and assuring them a political status maybe shouldn't come as a surprise, but it does.
It surprises me and shocks me, and if I ruled the world it just wouldn't happen.

posted by Becca @ 7:13 pm