The issue of migration to Europe is the litmus by which one can gauge the hollow humanism of the European Union (EU). In recent years, the migration crisis has exposed the EU and its indifference towards people who want to live in safe places. In yet another accident, at least forty Europe-bound migrants have gone missing in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. This recent accident informs the world that the migration crisis is far from over. The migration crisis once made a hot news story. But then the issue lost its charm for the media. Will the world respond to the ongoing but long-forgotten problem only when another image of a kid lying dead on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea surfaces?
Despite all kinds of restrictions that the European Union (EU) have taken, people, desperate to find a safe home abroad, undertake the dangerous journey by sea to Europe. The harsh measures that the EU has taken in partnership with countries like Libya, Turkey and others have made these people vulnerable and exposed to armed groups and human traffickers. According to a United Nations (UN) report, 164 migrants have died while making attempts to reach Europe this year. But this figure is not an updated one. An updated estimate will take up the human toll to at least 350 deaths.
The EU solution is not working. It is about time that the EU leaders give up xenophobia and hold a debate on which country should accommodate how many migrants. For many countries from where people are fleeing, Europe has played a direct role in destroying them. So these countries have a moral obligation to accommodate those who flee their homes because of civil wars or interventions. However, it will be unfair to ask Europe to adjust all of these migrants. Therefore, to find a long-lasting and sustainable solution for the crisis in hands, the UN needs to take up the issue seriously.