More than 100,000 refugees have journeyed into Sicily in 2017. The UN Refugee Agency notes that in the first week of October, 1,4000 people entered various island ports of this Italian province.

To put this into perspective, our local city of Noblesville has a reported population of 60,000 people. It’s neighboring city of Westfield claims 37,000 residents. Imagine if every man, woman and child of those two towns packed a small bag and walked away from their homes. They simply left them empty. Now imagine, these 100,000 people, in small groups, or as individuals made their way across the country to San Francisco (roughly the same distance as anyone in Somalia might walk to get to Libya’s coast). Imagine this throng as they approach the city, ready to find safety, ready to receive sanctuary. And then imagine what would happen if that scenario repeated itself, year after year after year. That is what is happening across Africa. That is what is happening in Sicily. 

Worst of all, this year’s numbers indicate that 13% of all those arriving (more than 13,000) are unaccompanied children! This figure alone should shock us and move us to action.

Yes, the number of refugees and migrants has dropped this year over last; but the problem shows no sign of reaching a resolution. Civil war, poverty, slavery and genocide all factor in to the mass numbers of men, women and children who are traveling thousands of miles to find safety and freedom.

The root causes of the migration have not changed. The killing, the hunger, and the fear continue to drive people north, searching for a better life. Searching for hope. And while authorities are better able to stop the wave of humanity closer to the African coast, turning boats around at the waters’ edge, that action is not alleviating the pressure on countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or Libya, where numbers of refugees are growing daily. And reports indicate that migrant camps are nothing more than holding pens where murder, rape, abuse, and open slavery auctions are now common expectations.

Let’s be very clear: The numbers are staggering, the problem is massive, and unfortunately, the solutions are few.