Refugees and migrants: desperate for life bringing death

The number of migrants who have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean this year has already surpassed twice the average annual total, the highest toll since the beginning of the century.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said that a record 3,072 people had died attempting to reach Europe during the first nine months of 2014.

That is more than double the annual average of about 1,500 deaths. Many are refugees fleeing wars in places such as Syria. It is time to do more than count the number of victims. It is time to engage the world to stop this violence against desperate migrants.

As more people become desperate for a future, so too many countries around the world are implementing harsher regulations to govern the entry of migrants and refugees. This is leading to increased desperation among those who feel the hopelessness of their situation.

The Church around the world needs a new response. We need a fresh compassion for those who feel so desperate that they would risk everything to create a new future.

Pray for God’s view of these people and their needs; for compassion; for justice and righteousness to govern responses.