Thursday’s report on a French-side human-smuggling case is the kind of story that hits even harder during the Christmas season, which is all about caring and giving. Three migrants drowned and another six went missing when an overloaded boat illegally taking them to St. Thomas from Baie Rouge sank.
While the tragic incident occurred more than five years ago, it is still very much relevant, as these despicable practices exploiting the needs of desperate people seeking a better life elsewhere continue. The seven suspects, if found guilty, clearly deserve whatever punishment they get.
But that won’t make the problem go away. Whether it’s the refugees pouring out of humanitarian crisis-hit Venezuela into neighbouring countries, Central Americans travelling through Mexico in an attempt to cross its border with the United States or African and Middle-Eastern persons trying to reach the Europe Union (EU) to escape the harsh reality in their mostly impoverished and/or war-torn homelands where true misery and loss of hope exist, people will move on.
This has been the situation since biblical times and it’s not likely to change, no matter how many of such shipments are captured or walls built. Improving conditions in the places where these migrants come from is the only, be it long-term, solution.
In the spirit of the holidays, let us reflect on the importance of affording also developing nations the necessary space and opportunity to prosper and achieve a more balanced and fair distribution of the world’s wealth in the end. That’s not communism but ultimately creating a kinder future for all.
