Recently more than 500 illegal immigrants were held across Turkey. Undocumented migrants belonged to Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Palestine, Iran, Morocco and Somalia.
According to Turkish security sources almost 577 undocumented migrants were held in the Northwestern Turkey on Monday. The migrants were rounded up in the districts of Bosnakoy and Yenikadin, as well as in the northern port city of Canakkale.
Turkey has always been the main route for migrants trying to cross into Europe. Since the outbreak of Syrian Civil war, the number of illegal immigrants from Syria fleeing to Turkey has increased.
Istanbul is like “Neo-Europe” for illegal immigrants. Due to its location at the intersection of main migration routes, Turkey is facing serious burden of massive flow of illegal immigrants.
Young people from Middle east and South Asia, desperate to escape poverty, unemployment and crime leave everything behind in a dream of leading a better life in Europe. They pay thousands of dollars to local agents in a bid to reach Europe without proper documentation. These human smugglers assure their clients of a safe route to Europe via Iran, but due to greater border controls, Turkey ends up as their temporary home.
Mostly young men or teenage boys opt for illegal means to flee to Europe, as they are easily manipulated by local human trafficker, who is often referred to as an agent. The initial cost in comparison to the whole documented procedure seems low to these people belonging to a less privileged lifestyle. At times these young people, accept their offers without even informing their families to lead a free life.
Even middle-aged men and young fathers think working abroad and earning in a stronger foreign currency seems like a good way to support their family. Not being literate is also one of the reasons why people from these states avoid proper documented migration. Prolonged procedures, fear of visa rejection and high expenses compel them to seek illegal means to flee to Central Europe.
Human Trafficking works along community or ethnic lines mostly. For example, in Pakistan, if you’re from a certain city or town, your smuggler will likely be from the same area – perceived as more trustworthy – and his clients will likely be from the same greater area or share the same lingual roots as you. So, most of the travelling companions are ethnically similar, like hundreds of people from Pakistan and Afghanistan are smuggled together in small shipping containers.
This illegal journey to Europe is less costly, but highly risky. There are several perils on the way. Travelling for days in a small shipping container with food and accommodationrestrictions and staying in the custody of strangers in a country where your presence is not even legal, can not only cause stress for these illegal travelers, but also physical exhaustion.
Despite knowing the risks, people facing socio-economic restraints are willing to travel illegally. So, the question is… can we stop this illegal migration? Rather than preventing his illegal migration, management of migration could be more useful. Setting up Migrant Research Centers across these countries can help spread awareness about the perils of illegal migration, as well as the dangers of human trafficking.
To avoid illegal immigration, it is important to conduct awareness sessions, especially in rural areas. Migrant Resource Centers (MRCs) should emphasize on the dangers of illegal migration and merits of legal migration. People should be asked to contact the MRC for seeking any information about migration for study or job. Reforms can be introduced in migration policies, incentive to migrate illegally must be reduced.
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