Who is responsible?

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Muhammad Hamid Zaman December 24, 2024
The author is a Professor and the Director of Center on Forced Displacement at Boston University

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The Greek authorities have called off the rescue operations.

In small towns and villages, the hopes for the news of those who are still missing from the tragedy in the Mediterranean is fading fast. The stories of those who survived are heart breaking. The travel from Pakistan, the torture in 'safe houses' in North Africa, the tragedy on the boat, and the agony of seeing your friends drown.

While the government has vowed – once again – that it would crack down on human trafficking, few actually believe anything would change on the ground. This tragedy is one more incident in the long line of incidents within the last year and a half. Some resulted in the death of a few individuals, and some resulted in drowning of over two hundred. Every one of them should have been saved.

There are several reasons to be skeptical about a different future. Let us start with some basics. Human trafficking is fundamentally different from human smuggling. Trafficking involves abduction for forced labour and/or sexual exploitation against the will of an individual. Smuggling, on the other hand is a transactional relationship, typically involving exchange of money for a particular outcome. It is not to say that there is no exploitation in smuggling. Far from it! But it is fundamentally different from abduction and trafficking. What we are dealing with in Pakistan is smuggling, where someone wants to reach a particular place, pays smugglers and expects to get to that particular place. If we want to address the problem, we must first understand the nuance and the difference.

Second, research in multiple countries has shown that smuggling networks are highly complex, multi-layered and often involve powerful people who are complicit. This may mean – in our context – individuals who are affluent or well-connected. Raids by FIA may find people at the bottom of the ladder but there may be many more in powerful circles who are involved. Will the government really be interested in bringing them to justice?

Third – and perhaps most significant – is the basic question: who is responsible? When the government says stern action should be taken against those who are 'responsible', we should ask: who is actually responsible? Another way to ask is: why do people take such chances? I have spoken to dozens of migrants from Pakistan in Europe – both those who are in EU and those not yet in EU – and dozens more from all over the world. Some are new arrivals, others are not. They knew the risks of the sea route. Yet, they still wanted to leave. The individual reasons vary slightly, but the core reason is the same. The system has failed them, and they are the victims of systemic, and deeply rooted, injustice. They are treated poorly by society, they are unable to make ends meet, they do not see the justice system working for them, and they see no future. They are born without privilege in a society where privilege is the only way to survive with dignity. They are neither unpatriotic, nor are they fools. They are neither naïve nor are they lacking in their faith. They miss their home and love their families just as much as you and I would. They want what most of us want: dignity, happiness, justice and fairness. They leave not because of a pull of a life in Europe, but a push from within the country. They leave a country that does not care about them, and would not care if they existed or not.

So next time when someone says that those who are responsible should be held accountable, we should reflect that this means not just all the players in the human smuggling rings, but all those who create an unfair system, those who nourish and support it. This means many of us.

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