PARIS, FRANCEPARIS - In an insightful interview, French demographer Yves Charbit tackled the complex issue of migration, arguing that it should not be analyzed through an ethical lens. The discussion, part of the feature documentary "The Universality of It All," directed by Andres Bronnimann, took place in Paris in 2019.
"Migration is largely under the remote and close control of political reasons and economic reasons," Charbit stated, emphasizing that the driving forces behind migration policies are often demographic realities rather than ethical considerations. "You could say that in principle there is freedom of circulation of individuals. Fair enough. 'Liberté du mouvement,' we say in French... But that's only a wish. The reality isn't there."
Charbit underscored the absence of true freedom of movement, pointing out that "even if there was in principle the freedom of movement as the classical theory of migration pretends, nevertheless, there is no freedom. Freedom of movement does not exist."
He further explained that migration policies are dictated by fertility and mortality rates, rather than a desire to help or ethical motivations. "The question is not the ethics of migration, it's the ethics of underdevelopment," he remarked.
Charbit argued that the exploitation and maintenance of poverty in developing countries make migration a form of compensation. "Because we maintain them in poverty, because we exploited their resources. In that case, migration is legitimate because it's compensation for what we do."
Our interview concluded with a thought-provoking point, highlighting the broader context of migration. "Migration is only part of a much broader picture. If you really don't do much to help development [in developing countries], how could you be surprised to have migration?"
The full conversation took approximately two hours. This was perhaps one of the most informative interviews that filmmaker Andres Bronnimann conducted for "The Universality of It All". For an in-depth look at Yves Charbit's perspectives, watch a scene from scene from the documentary below.