Friday, the inaugural Journalists International Forum For Migration Intercontinental Migration Summit came to an end with a demand for proactive measures to address diverse migration threats.
The Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, in Brooklyn, US, served as the host institution for the hybrid conference.
"Appraising Human Mobility: Prospects and Challenges of Labor Migration Post-Pandemic Era" was the theme.
From November 2 to November 4, 2022, it took place.
Zoom was used to deliver the speech by Dr. Ajibola Abayomi, President of the JIFORM, who stressed the necessity for positive action to address the myriad problems related to migration governance and human mobility.
Abayomi charged nations to show more commitment towards eradicating poverty, inequality and create more jobs for the needy to hinder human trafficking, slavery and ensure improved labour migration relations with strategies to also address concerns on climatic challenges posing threats to humanity.
He said: “Global warming is worth giving serious attention.
“The anticipated climatic reactions projected by the world bank to affect over 216 million people globally by 2030 as an offshoot of emission and environmental hazards such as flooding and weather reaction should concern all of us.
“We must not pretend, the mass movement of migrants to be affected in the North Africa, Asia, Europe, America and others would lead to unprecedented inflation and dislocation of the world economy order if steps are not taken to forestall it.
“The developed countries that are responsible for most of the consequences of the global warming should fulfil the accumulated annual $100 billion overdue Green Climatic Funds pledge to the global south nations to mitigate the effect before it is too late.”
Ajibola called for support for the 280.6 million international migrants accounting for almost 4 per cent of the world population of 7.8 billion with more friendly policies and deliberate evidence based journalism laced with human face given their roles as economic developers.
Speaking, both Prof. Kimberly Whitehead, the Senior Vice President for Strategy at MEC, and Dr. JoAnne Rolle, the Dean of MEC, admonished nations and stakeholders to formulate strategies with clear road map to counter human trafficking luring women and children into slavery across the world.
Professor Byron Price from the MEC raised concerns on millions of migrants in detentions camps in America and other countries.
Price said: “An estimated 660,000 children – 150,000 last year alone – have been separated from one parent or both by our nation’s heartless detain-and-deport immigration laws.”
According to a report by the National Council of La Raza and the Urban Institute, the majority of these children are under the age of 10, with many infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
These children not only experience trauma now but will likely suffer from this event for the rest of their lives.
“When children experience strong or prolonged adversity without adequate adult support, they are flooded with stress hormones which can disrupt the development of the brain and other systems, resulting in what researchers at Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child call toxic stress response,” Price lamented.
Also at the summit, Gerry Weiner, the former Secretary of Government and Minister of Immigration and Citizenship in Canada, pushed for reappraisal of migration policies with friendly inputs as being done in his country.
Weiner argued that provisions must be made for the less privilege to lessen agitation for revolution and migration unrest globally.
The Minister of Labour and Social Security in Canada, Apha Timbo, suggested that West African nations must evolve capacity building for migrant workers training and preparation of migrants with soft and hard skills and a digitalized migration for tracking, monitoring and social protection.
In her submission, Dr Princess Ocansey, a member of the African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee, bemoaned the unemployment ratio in Africa, but averred: “Well managed Migration can provide several solutions!
“From temporary circular migration opportunities to strategically positioned remittances to fix emerging forex issues and more.”
Solomon A Folorunsho and his counterparts from Home for the Needy, Germany sought supports for the over 5,000 victims of forced migration at the center in Benin City, Nigeria.They stressed the need to embrace peaceful resolution of conflicts to reduce the number of internally displaced persons across the continents, especially in North East Nigeria.
Contributors at the summit included Philomena Gnanapragsam, Director of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development; Professor Fadhel Kaboub, a Tunisian-American associate professor of economics at Denison University, Ohio, USA; and Vergil Ratliff, Texas Comptroller of Public Funds Accounts-Criminal Investigation.
Others were Thuleleni Mbhansa, female advocate of High Court of South Africa; Phelisa Nkonmo from South Africa; Vera Bumpers, the Metro Chief of Policy, Houston; Velaze Vinolia Mabele, CEO, Lebema Media House Limited, USA; Head of Media Unit of the Nigerians in Disapora Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun; Dr. Wale Idris Ajibade, Director of African Views, USA; Evelyn Cel Manavalla from Spain; and Teresa Jabob from Home for the Needy, Germany.
JIFORM is a migration journalists body founded in 2019 with over 300 journalists focusing on migration matters across the continents.