Is it human, or "normal" to see innocent children dying at sea as they try to escape war and certain death? No, at least not for me. This is an ongoing tragedy; one we are unfortunately getting used to.
Take a look at the websites of several of the most important national newspapers and browse their homepages. You'll find mountains of words written on current affairs, but not much on this tragedy. The death of four migrants, two of whom were minors, drowned aboard a makeshift vessel in the middle of the Aegean Sea, just to cite one example, was announced in a short column of text at the bottom. The place of such news is destined to drop lower and lower, until it disappears from the homepage altogether. Is this silent massacre truly of such little interest to our newspapers (not all of them) and (perhaps) our readers?
Now I wonder: does it make any sense to celebrate International Migrants Day while in the face of this daily massacre, international governments continue to do nothing, and gaze out at the coasts of Turkey where, every day, thousands of migrants, refugees and, above all, children are dying?
"Despite what some politicians will tell you, the desperate refugees who arrive in Italy are not being given beds in three-star hotels."
What's happened to the resolute character of our European leaders, who have the strength to close our borders from day to day, to build walls to reinforce our confines, have yet to still figure how to resolve a humanitarian crisis of this size?
In 2013, there were approximately 232 million migrants around the world, an unprecedented number. From January to December 2015, more than 950,000 migrants have arrived in Germany. Of the 644,000 migrants and refugees who arrived in Europe by sea, 34 percent have been women and children. Many of the refugees and migrants arriving in Europe are Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, Eritrean, Somalian, Nigerian, Pakistani and Sudanese women and children. These numbers don't make headlines, probably because we don't stop to think about the fact that behind these numbers are stories of human beings, husbands and wives, entire families with children and infants who have had to abandon everything they have, including their homes (if they haven't already been destroyed), their own countries devastated by guns and bombs, scraping together what little money they can in order to climb aboard makeshift vessels and try to start a new life in Europe.
A young boy stands in the water after arriving on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on October 21, 2015. (Arms Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)As Italians and Europeans, our priority should be to guarantee these millions of fleeing children a protected, legal and safe passage, as well as a reasonable welcome, especially along our borders. Because, despite what some politicians will tell you, the desperate refugees who arrive in Italy are not being given beds in three-star hotels. I've been to Lampedusa, and I've seen numerous welcome centers set up around the Belpaese. I've watched migrants and refugees arrive in these shelters and I can personally guarantee that they look nothing like luxurious hotels.
"There's no such thing as first class migrants and second class migrants."
Some children have told me their stories; the horrors they've had to face before reaching Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Austria, or Germany and the sought-after northern Europe. Access to basic services is limited. Some of them are arbitrarily arrested at the borders. They endure violence and abuse, lose contact with their loved ones and risk dying alone at sea or in the middle of the desert. We cannot allow these children to be exposed to such risks in their journey towards a member state of the European Union.
We must protect them, above and beyond the legal status they may be given, because there's no such thing as first class migrants and second class migrants. We need to facilitate their reunion with their family members. Most important, we need to avoid closing our doors to them. Pushing them away means that leaving their homes, surviving bombs and bullets, and traveling for hundreds and thousands of kilometres on foot, in cars and over water, was all for nothing. Because despite the fact that they have rights, these rights are neither recognized nor respected.
Flavia Testorio contributed to this post. This piece was originally published on HuffPost Italy and was translated into English.