Friday, October 04, 2013

Migrants Die as Burning Boat Capsizes Off Italy

A boat from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea on its way to Italy caught on fire before dawn on Thursday killing many families aboard.  Those on the boat were an estimated 500 African migrants who were fleeing war and poverty in their home country. The fire started when someone on board set a match to a blanket to signal for their position, the fire from the burning blanket ignited gasoline and caught the boat on fire. At the time this occurred, they were not even a quarter-mile away from reaching their destination when they were forced to flee the boat and attempt to swim to land. At least 111 people were reported dead, with up to 250 still missing. Italy’s Coast Guard are still continuing to search for more survivors.       
Although on the surface this tragedy may seem as though it is not a sociological created problem, by examining the underlying causes to why this happened we can begin to understand how society played an important role in this incident. Globalization has had a huge impact on Africa’s economy in more negative ways than positive. Those Africans fortunate enough to find work in factories must do so under harsh conditions and at low wages. Many do not find jobs and must resort to drugs or other criminal activity to make a living which also results in an increase in violence.  Jobs in Africa are really scarce due to its struggling economy mainly because of the depletion of resources and the exploitation of its working citizens. Therefore, the lack of opportunities for Africans has led to high violence rates affects all of African citizens.  African families who have the opportunity to leave to Europe take it even if it means risking their lives like those who were on the boat that caught on fire.
Karina Velazquez
10/4/13
4:34 pm

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