Migration has emerged as a central issue of our times. Each year millions of men
and women leave their homes and cross national borders in search of greater human
security for themselves and their families. Most are motivated by the desire for higher
wages and better opportunities, but some are forced to leave their homes on account of
famine and poverty, natural disasters and environmental degradation, and violent conflict
or persecution. Most migration is between neighbouring countries, but greater access to
global information and cheaper transport mean that geography now poses less of a
barrier to movement. More and more countries are now involved with migration, either
as origin, destination, or transit countries, or all of these simultaneously.
