BY ELLISON VAHI
ONE of the most significant risks of unregulated migration in the Solomon Islands is that it will reduce productivity.
This would affect all population groups whether they were migratory or not, thus Loss of productivity would have a major impact on the economies of the country’s nation states both directly and indirectly.
Also, the capacity of farmers, including subsistence farmers, to produce sufficient food would be hindered, national sources of income to import necessities such as pharmaceuticals, fuel and other essential stocks would also be affected. Industries such as tourism, where the country depend on for generating employment and revenue, would as well be affected.
In addition, unregulated migration also affects living conditions and creates human insecurity for many displaced people as receiving island nations do not have adequate resources or infrastructure to accept or cope with large numbers of displaced and migratory people.
This may result in significant numbers populating refugee camps, urban slums, or makeshift living quarters that are characterised by poor sanitation, inadequate supply of clean water or access to sufficient food, and the lack of public comforts and services.
In relations, these environments may conducive to the spread of disease, the development of epidemics, increased malnutrition, and high mortality levels.
They are also ripe for exploitation by organised crime gangs and sexual predators especially when people are unable to make a living to support themselves or their families.
In the meanwhile, the long term implications may even more severe when those displaced are unable to return to their home environment because their places of origin have been destroyed or in the case of low lying islands, rendered unliveable.
As seen in other parts of the world, deterioration can quickly be exploited by external actors seeking to generate instability for their own purposes.
