“In light of the fact that irregular migration is not a crime and irregular migrants are not criminals per se, the use of the expression ‘illegal migrant’ should be avoided at all costs. The UN General Assembly Resolution No. 3449 of 9 December 1975 recommended that stakeholders avoid using the term ‘illegal’ to describe migrants in an irregular situation.

Using incorrect terminology that negatively depicts individuals as ‘illegal’ contributes to the negative discourses on migration, and further reinforces negative stereotypes against migrants. Moreover, such language legitimates a discourse of the criminalisation of migration, which in turn, contributes to the further alienation, marginalisation, discrimination and ill treatment of migrants on a daily basis.”

– UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, during the Panel Discussion on International Migration and Development, June 25th, 2013, New York

UNHCR Mid-Year Asylum Trends Report: Removing the Politics From It All

So I know my recent posts have been quite “politics-heavy,” so to speak. It is strange to think of how when I first started this blog, I was too scared to even mention a political party, or their views on immigration, but as time went on, we can all agree that politics and migration have somewhat become my central focus. The two have now become heavily intertwined: people in politics have made immigration a key issue in their platforms, while the way in which people will move around Europe is becoming increasingly dictated by the policies made by those in power.

But in the end, the mobility of people in this world is not all about politics, or perhaps when studying said mobility, one needs to be able to take a step back, once in a while, and take a look at the overall picture.

That is why I am choosing to highlight this recent report from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) detailing asylum trends for the first half of 2014 in this post. Reading it has not only help to further my understanding of asylum seekers and how they move, but it helps to bring me and this blog back down to earth: it removes the politics from migration, and helps me to see the bigger picture of mobility in this world nowadays.

Source: UNHCR