Page 116 - A Helping Hand for Refugees

This week a terrible tragedy shook Istanbul and brought an impor-

tant question once again to the fore, perhaps with a much greater inten-
sity. A small overloaded boat carrying 46 migrants sank off Istanbul.
Only six people could be rescued. They were all Afghan nationals
mainly women and children, set out in search of a safe haven away from
the violence that has wreaked havoc on the poverty-stricken country.

It was only last month that Great Britain left many shocked when
the Minister of State with Responsibility for the Commonwealth Office,
Joyce Anelay, announced that Britain would no longer be taking part
in the European Union's search and rescue operations in the Mediter-
ranean on the grounds that they "create an involuntary attraction factor."

Anelay explained that every migrant who is rescued would attract
others to follow suit. So if they are abandoned helpless in the sea, others
will not be encouraged to set out and the arrival of migrants will thus
be prevented.

114 A Helping Hand for Refugees