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IN
many countries, human smuggling from India has led to various
problems. Visa restrictions have been imposed so that Indians
wishing to travel for genuine reasons such as tourism, business, or
education, have suffered. India has been participating in
international discussions such as the Bali process to curb human
smuggling and trafficking, but its record in implementing effective
measures is unsatisfactory.
The plight of those who succeed in
getting into Western countries by illegal means is dismal. Agents
and touts lure Indians from rural areas such as Punjab with false
promises and induce them to pay huge sums of money. Europe and the
US are destinations for such smugglers and illegal Indian migrants
are found in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and other
countries, trying to reach their El Dorado. Only very few succeed.
Human smuggling is distinct from the
more cruel practice of human trafficking. The latter involves forced
movement against the will of the humans involved, usually for
purposes of prostitution, slavery, etc. In human smuggling, the
humans willingly participate, lured by hopes of a better life away
from their countries. Deception, fraud and exploitation can occur in
both cases.
Human smuggling arises due to both
“push” and “pull” factors. The “push” factor is the poor economic
situation in the place of origin, lack of employment, low skill
levels, etc. The “pull” factor is the shortage of manual,
agricultural, and unskilled labour in the destination due to
migration to cities and decreasing population, and the lower
expenses the employer may have to meet, due to lower wages that the
illegal migrants may receive.
In recent years, the agricultural
sector in southern European countries such as Greece, Italy,
Portugal, and Spain has been facing problems due to migration of
working population to the cities in search of better prospects.
There is thus a problem of finding agricultural labour for the
farms, especially during harvest seasons. This demand has been met
largely by migrant workers coming from the nearby Balkan countries,
North Africa and increasingly from South Asia. An official survey in
Greece, for example, indicated that there were some 70,000 unfilled
jobs in the agricultural sector.
Interestingly, Greece already has some
15,000 migrants from Punjab, working in the agricultural sector.
This number does not include those whose status is unregularised,
probably another 3,000. The migrants from Punjab have been coming
for over a decade, and in some areas such as Marathonas (some 30 km
from the capital, Athens), they are numerous enough to become a
visibly distinct community, with an impact on local politics
(migrants can vote in Greek local elections). In Marathonas, one can
see a number of small children from Punjab studying in local Greek
schools and a number of festivals are observed regularly. By and
large, the migrant workers from Punjab have acquired a good
reputation as hardworking, honest workers, apart from occasional
internal brawls and road accidents.
This writer has frequently asked local
Prefects about the conduct of Punjabi migrants in their areas and
invariably the response is that they create no problems whatsoever.
The agro-climate in Greece has some similarities with Punjab and
large farming and orchard areas require labour for tasks such as
harvesting olives, etc.
These migrants live on the farms, and
grow their own vegetables and are relatively better off, being able
to save a considerable part of their earnings of around Euro 600 per
month. Therefore, there is a strong “pull” factor that drives
illegal migration to Greece. Similar conditions exist in Italy,
Spain and Portugal.
The illegal migration is much larger
from Pakistan (there are over 50,000 Pakistani-origin migrants in
Greece). The Embassies of both India and Pakistan are often crowded
with long lines of migrants seeking various documents especially
duplicate passports. A large proportion of the Pakistani migrants
find work in cities, especially in garages, and live under difficult
conditions.
For many years, Greek authorities were
relatively lenient in dealing with illegal migrants. Periodic
amnesty schemes were announced to get themselves regularised. After
Greece joined the Schengen area, border and immigration controls
became much stricter. The situation became more difficult for
illegal migrants.
The usual route for illegal migration
to Greece is a circuitous one and may involve transit via places
such as Bangkok, Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Istanbul, and then
dropping of near at some point near Greece’s long coastline. Usually
agents take away their passports. Most migrants are rounded up but
deportation takes a long time. After three months in a detention
centre, they have to be released and can work until their cases are
finally decided. If they appeal, further time may elapse.
There could be an official agreement
on migrant workers between the authorities in India and Greece (as
in Egypt) under which workers from India could go to Greece to work
in the agricultural sector. This would be a win-win situation for
all. While Greece would benefit, Indian workers would get work and
social security.
When this writer had suggested this
approach to Greek officials, the response was that the agricultural
work was seasonal and could be met by migrants from the neighbouring
Balkan countries. However, the Greek farmers prefer migrant workers
from Punjab on a full year basis, as this results in better
operation of their farms. This is true especially in the large
island of Crete, where agriculture goes on the year around, and it
is located far from Greece’s Balkan neighbours.
The Centre and the states in India
should strengthen legislative measures to detect and fight human
smuggling and exploitation of migrants. The Emigration (Amendment)
Bill, 2009, cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier, should be passed.
However, specific measures to deal with human smuggling under cover
of study, tourism, business, or culture, are needed. These measures
need to be put in place with stronger penalties for offences.
The writer is a former Ambassador
of India to Greece and Cuba
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