In his piece, Michael McDowell suggests that it’s essential for Ireland to address the attractive elements drawing asylum seekers without clearly indicating what these are (‘Ireland should deal with attractive elements to asylum seekers’, Opinion, 18th September). He also details the mixed outcomes of the various EU nations as they manoeuvre through the crisis, success being gauged by the decrease in individuals seeking asylum.
However, counter to focusing on these alluring elements, it’s more advantageous to analyse the repelling elements and consider the entire migration issue. The Global South has been a continual victim of exploitation for over two centuries, serving to fulfil the demands and create wealth in the affluent northern nations.
The reign of colonialism saw the enforcement of labour and the resulting societal consequences are still seen today. Moreover, these nations were deprived of valuable resources, disregarding the well-being of their citizens. Any form of resistance was faced with harsh oppression, sometimes leading to genocide.
Legally sanctioned looting has become common in recent times through unfair trade agreements, often agreed upon by local dictatorial administrations backed by Western countries. Simultaneously, destruction of these nations’ ecosystems has catered to the West’s unchecked consumption. The increasing rate of climate change and biodiversity loss has not only intensified poverty due to economic exploitation but has made the Global South face the brunt of more unpredictable weather and increased pollution.
It is now crucial that we acknowledge refugees fearing economic struggles, climate issues and environmental hazards as valid and worthy of our protection. To genuinely impede migrants from reaching Europe’s borders, we need confronting the harsh truths.
Continuing along the path of pursuing an economic model obsessively focused on growth, leading to ecosystem devastation, will inevitably displace individuals from their homes in the Global South. Alluring elements are inconsequential— Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Blackrock,
Cork.