MIGRATION | 29.11.2011

A world in motion

 

Many people dream of a better future abroad

What drives millions of people to leave home every year? Some 3 percent of the world's population is made up of migrants who live abroad for economic and other reasons. Many of them look to Europe for a better future.

 

Many refugees from conflict areas barely manage to escape with their lives. Conflicts in Somalia and Libya alone forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, a huge portion of them took shelter in neighboring countries.

Others try to escape from discrimination and prosecution because of the color of their skin, their religion or political conviction. All in all, UNHCR counts 25 million refugees worldwide.

More people are going abroad, fleeing bad living conditions and the numbers are especially high in regions afflicted by famine, epidemics or natural disasters.

But even if basic needs are satisfied, young people still go abroad seeking more promising opportunities.

Many young people in developing countries face poverty and lack of opportunity to improve their lives

A good education, job skills or career prospects are often easier to find in more developed countries. In this respect, of course, other migrants play an increasing role: Their experiences in foreign countries attract others. And for their relatives and friends it is much easier to get at least a temporary visa.

Still, in Africa many unrealistic images about Europe circulate. Many migrants reaching the so-called "land of dreams" quickly find out that life here is far from paradise and that work is not easy to find.

Author: Klaus Dahmann

Editor: Sean Sinico

 

 

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