Humanity is on the move. As per the latest UN estimates, 244 million people (i.e.

3.3 percent of the entire population) live in a country that is not the one in which
they were born. However, this does not mean that we are all just traipsing across
the globe. In this terror stuck world, 20 million of these displaced individuals are
refugees who have fled war or persecution in their home countries.
As if it is not enough for these migrants to have to uproot their entire lives in order
to bring about some semblance of safety and security, their journey to freedom is
paved by almost unsurmountable obstacles. The newspapers broadcast every day
the stories of asylum seekers who have drowned on strange shores in a desperate
bid to escape their torment. The tales of those who do make it to foreign lands only
to have their asylum pleas rejected are even more numerous. How has humanity
become so inhumane that it cannot protect its fellow humans?
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth tells us the frightening
truth, Fear of terrorist attacks and mass refugee flows are driving many Western
governments to roll back human rights protections. It has reached the stage where
people are treating terrorists - perpetrators of mass murder and other heinous
crimes - with the same amount of fear and dread as refugees and migrants
innocents who are driven away from their homelands because of terrible conditions.
These individuals are already being deprived of so many of their basic rights by
having to flee their home nations. The right to safety is something they may never
have known. But instead of doing our bit to try and alleviate their sorrows, we deny
them entry into our countries. We fail to realize that these immigrants are also flesh
and blood humans who deserve the same opportunities.
The sadder truth is that of the immigrants who now live on foreign lands, having
rebuilt their lives among strangers. Immigrants across the world face the brunt of
discrimination, xenophobia, exploitation and human rights violations. An online
platform called Whisper which allows users to post confessions anonymously
recently brought the true stories of these migrants to light.
Ive done my bachelor degree in computer science and my post grad in
management systems but Im working at McDonalds because Im an immigrant,
said one immigrant, highlighting the discrimination and lack of equality that
refugees face on a day to day basis. Another user stated, Im an immigrant and
sometimes I feel like Im not wanted here, like Im trash or a lowlife. I try hard not to
let others know Im an immigrant because I feel like they will hold it against me.
The situation is such that these individuals no longer feel comfortable in their own
skin and feel the need to hide their identity. The harsh treatment and prejudice
faced by immigrants is obvious in this users statement, Sometimes I hate being an
immigrant. People automatically think Im uneducated and a child of a lesser god.
Why have we as a race turned against each other in this manner? Is it because we
live comfortable lives far away from war and thus do not know what it is like to

abandon everything familiar in a bid for safety? Is it because we do not identify with
these migrants that we turn them away and deny them their rights? We give them
dirty, dangerous and degrading jobs and subject them to prejudicial treatment.
However, they continue to work and contribute to our economic growth and
development, enrich our culture and diversity.
Carlos Fuentes said, Recognize yourself in he and she that are not like you and
me. Yes, these migrants may be people who belong to a different culture and
ethnicity. But governments have obligations to ensure that xenophobic violence,
racism and related intolerance against migrants and their communities have no
place in their societies. People have obligations to ensure that their fellow human
beings are treated with dignity and respect. Migrants should not only be allowed
asylum but should be welcomed as an opportunity to develop understanding and
respect among nations, cultures and societies. Let us build a world of unity and
harmony. Let us build a world where equality is not a myth but a reality. Let us build
a world in which we recognize he and she and you and me as what we truly are
human.