A Follow Up to the Euro Arab Forum “Youth and Migration” in Morocco
by Jennifer Kingston
My hopes and fears were realised as I spent 6 days in Morocco surrounded by Nationalities from all around the globe. Just to name a few, I sat, listened and shared, meals, speechs and meetings, with friends from Egypt, Holland, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Finland, Italy, France and Lithuania. In basic terms and in the context of migration, it is a process of opening a society, a country or a region to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or social class. According to the Council of Europe, integration “aims at ensuring social cohesion through accommodation of diversity understood as a two-way process.”
I ate in a marquee every evening with 25-27 degree heat and sunshine, with a 3 course meal provided at lunch and dinner, always with meat. One of my vegetarian friends from Finland had to dine in another area, a back room!! This is because the Moroccans love their meat, and especially like people eating their food. As I normally am a very picky eater, I was quite fearful of the food, however I ate everything that was put in front of me(my mothers training paid off!). However,this was due to the men, giving all the women the food first and plating it for us and if you didn’t eat they would tell the waiter to ask the chef to make something else!! Therefore, there was no weight lost on my intercultural adventure!!
In a T.V interview, I was asked what rights do migrants have? My reply, there are 2 words in Human rights, the first being the most important, migrants are Human and they have the Right to a Home, to feel safe, secure and loved in an environment they wish to be in.
Every day was spent attending meetings, presentations and workshops where, I listened to key speakers, presentations and attended workshops. What really touched me on my trip was the Real Stories where I listened to men and women who have lost friends these friends were young people, who died swimming for a new life or getting into a boat that will never make it across the Meditterean sea. Other people who have told me they hold onto passports in foreign countries to prevent men leaving their businesses, therefore the wages are so low, some families feel they have no choice but to get into a ship or small boat. The majority of these people know what awaits; suffocation, chronic illnesses or the vessels sinking before they make shore. The country knows this is happening but nothing is being done to prevent these trips from happening. Another story of a border area for the past 5 years, used as refuge for young families as they are not safe in their own country but forgotten about as neither country wants to support them. Where are these peoples human rights?
Therefore on ending this report, hold a thought for people who come to this country, who want to settle in and make a safe, secure life, realise we all are human beings who share the same values. We as Gods people on a journey in life searching for a place to call Home, and yes one day we will find it.
“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11
