Political Science

The cause of immigration from Afghanistan to the alien lands is the danger and insecurity that the Afghan boys face in their own country by multifarious forces and also the hope of a better future that might lay for them in some foreign land. As Imogen Foulkes describes the case of Abdullah, an Afghan boy, whose migration from his native land was preceded by the threats by the Taliban to the ethnic minority of Hazara to which Abdullah belonged  (Foulkes, 2003). As the Afghan boys are denied to live a normal life in their own country they leave their homelands, a 15 year old Afghan boy reports the cause of leaving his country because there was bombing and killing and it was impossible to have a normal life  (Foulkes, 2003). The second cause of immigration is the hope of a normal life as an Afghan immigrant expresses his wish to go to London because I think life will be easier there (Foulkes, 2003). The subsequent effects of immigration include the dangers a migrant faces during his journey, the exploitation at the hands of the smugglers, prevention of basic facilities by the authorities of foreign countries and the endless journey towards the European countries.

The first effect of the immigration is the perils that one is exposed to while proceeding towards the destination in the very beginning of the journey. The young Afghan immigrants have to face severe hardships during their journey that some of them loose their lives. The journey is carried out through lorry and other vehicles which lack sufficient facilities for the boys. As Abdullah, an Afghan immigrant, reveals horrendous details of his journey to Europe where he hid in the wheels of a lorry on a ferry to Italy and the long journey of 40 hours left him to starvation with no food and only one bottle of water  (Foulkes, 2003). The horrible journey would continue to haunt the memories of the young boy who underwent threats by Taliban owing to his community but as he left for a better future things were not found as easier as he had anticipated.

The second effect of immigration is the exploitation and manipulation of the immigrants at the hands of the smugglers. As the young boys commence their journey in hope of a better tomorrow they are vulnerable at the hands of the exploiters who misguide them in order to make money through ill means. The young immigrants especially the Afghan boys are told by the smugglers that a certain country would offer them the facilities and would make their dreams come true in lieu of the country they are currently staying. The reason of the vulnerability of Afghan boys greater than other immigrants is that they often stay just a few weeks, says a social worker Paolo Sola, they want to continue their journey to the U.K or Scandinavia. Some hear that schools in Norway were good or the existence of Afghan community in Britain, and various other reasons which make them take decision to continue their journey yet further. In Greece, says Laura Boldrini of the U.N refugee agency, the Afghan immigrants are told it is better in Italy, in Italy they are told it is better in France, and so on. In the end it is the smugglers who make money out of this (Foulkes, 2003).

The third effect of immigration is the absence of provision of the basic requirements of living hood by the government of foreign land where the immigrants decide or wish to stay. In some countries, not all, the immigrants are subsided to the extent that they are denied the basic facilities of food and shelter at the basis of certain laws of a country. Not only this but also the immigrants face persecution at the hands of the law enforcement forces which deal with them with a hard hand. The immigrants, as a result, are down graded below the standard of a human being without adequate provision of food, shelter, clothing, etc. Foulkes, for example, reports Calais misery faced by the Afghan boys as the authorities in France have taken drastic steps to supplement the miseries of the poor Afghan boys. The French authorities have not only closed jungle, an unofficial migrants camp, but also determines to prevent any more such camps springing up which implies the prevention of the supply of food and shelter and the removal of the migrants by police (Foulkes, 2003). In certain countries the not only migrants but also the helpers of the migrants are persecuted. Foulkes reports of the introduction of the crime of solidarity in France according to which those(among local population) who determine to help migrants could be persecuted  (Foulkes, 2003).

The fourth effect of the immigration in hope of a better future is the absence of consistency of the Afghan boys in their stay in a particular land and subsequent continuation of the journey towards Europe. While most of the migrants tend to leave their country in search of a future absent in their home lands, the Afghan boys are found more determined to seek their destiny than other migrants therefore they are found inconsistent as they do not stay more than a few weeks as many want to continue their journey to the U.K or Scandinavia. Everyone belives, says Foulkes, that somewhere in Europe, life must be better (Foulkes, 2003).

The petty migrants especially the Afghan boys leave their country in order to escape the threats posed by various forces. Another cause for leaving their country is the hope for a better future. The subsequent effects of the causes of immigration are the dangers into which the immigrants including the Afghan boys are encircled during their journey which prove to be so terrible that some of the boys are destined to face demise. Another effect being the manipulation of the immigrants at the hands of the smugglers while the absence of provision of basic needs to the immigrants is another effect of the immigration. Another effect of the cause of immigration for finding a better future is the continuance of their journey towards more distant European countries.