“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Every year on December 18 the world marks International Migrants Day, a day set aside to recognize the important contribution of migrants while highlighting the challenges they face.
Conflict, the effects of climate change and disasters are pushing people out of their homes in search of a haven. In their journeys, they are often faced with risks of abuse and exploitation.
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| John Moore/Getty Images |
In an increasingly mobile planet around one in eight people on the globe is a migrant or is moving. This is likely to increase due to conflicts, persecutions, environmental degradation and climate change. People also move because of a lack of human security and opportunities.
The experience of migration is a key determinant of health and well-being - especially among low-skilled migrant workers. They remain among some of the most vulnerable members of society - often living and working in conditions not conducive to good health and well being.
I am grateful that when I chose to relocate to the US in 2006, these were not the circumstances I faced. We did leave our homeland though in search of improved living and working conditions for me and my daughter.
