Ralph Gabriel Cobarde Candare

10-Mapagkawanggawa

MIGRATION: AN ASSET

“Migration is inevitable, necessary, and highly desirable”. Ever since the ancient times, humans
have been on the move. Today, more people are migrating than ever before. With this rapid rate of
migration comes diversity in all societies all over the world which is to be thought of as beneficial.
However, the opposite is what is taking place. So why is migration considered as a global issue?

Though migration is highly desirable and beneficial, it has become an issue due to the fact that it
is not being controlled or managed consistently. Though most migration is well-managed and closely
monitored, not all people who desire to migrate are able to find a suitable channel to do so, and this is
what makes it a problem. Aside from this, as a result of climate change there have been a great amount
of undocumented migrations, particularly from a research conducted from sixty eight rural Mexican
municipalities. Another problem involving migration is youth internal migration. It was first viewed as an
effective means to solve the issue of youth unemployment. However it has led to over urbanization
along with the negative and disadvantageous effects that come with it. Those being congestion, over
population, pollution, underemployment, unemployment, increased crime rates, the list goes on and on.
Migrants are also being taken advantage of as seen in a research conducted in the Netherlands which
showed that migrants experience discrimination, racism, and lack of capital. It seems as though
migration has brought more undesirable effects rather than the benefits it was perceived to have.
However, we must not lose hope. There are solutions to these problems. One of which is the effective
international cooperation in managing migration in order to see to it that the benefits reaped by
migration such as economic growth and development, and better opportunities for children to get
higher education, are received or widely distributed to all. Through the unity of the people, the human
rights of all concerned with migration are preserved and properly protected. Migration has made the
world more diverse through creating societies which are multicultural, multiethnic, and multi-religious.
It has brought the world together, and united humanity. It has given a great amount of people a chance
to live a better life, and start anew. It has developed the economy of the world, especially those of the
developing countries through the remittances sent by migrants.

Though migration is still a work in progress; an issue yet to be solved, we must not disregard the
great benefits that it brings. The diversity that migration comes with is truly a global asset. The words of
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres perfectly describes the current situation. He said,
and here I quote, “This diversity must be seen as a richness and not as a threat. But to make diversity a
success, we need to invest in social cohesion so that all people feel that their identities are respected
and that they have a stake in the community as a whole”.
References

Nawrotzki, R. J., Riosmena, F., Hunter, L. M., & Runfola, D. M. (2015). Undocumented migration in
response to climate change. International Journal of Population Studies, 1(1). doi:
10.18063/ijps.2015.01.004

Mirembe, S., Nzabona, A., & Mushomi, J. A. (2019). Internal youth migration in Uganda: Analyzing
associates and employment outcomes. International Journal of Population Studies, 5(1), 38. doi:
10.18063/ijps.v5i1.969

Echa, P. (2018). Capital is key: a case for migrants cultural capital. International Journal of Migration and
Border Studies, 4(1/2), 125. doi: 10.1504/ijmbs.2018.091212