OPINION

It's all about jobs

Re: "Human trafficking -- it's much closer than you think", (Opinion, July 29).

Dana Graber Ladek offered a thoughtful explanation for increases in the trafficking of people. The middle of that article is devoted to making the jump in logic that says we are all complicit because we want products that are cheap.

OK! But let's take that logic one step further. People are migrating, both legally and illegally, for any chance to work (to make those cheap products) because people outnumber jobs.

Like climate warming, this too is a change that has been sneaking up on us. I suspect I am a little older than Dana, but when I was born the world's population was only about two and half billion people. Now it is rapidly approaching eight billion people. In recent months the Bangkok Post has published several articles about how robotics are expected to make huge inroads by 2030 into work of all types from fruit pickers to medical doctors. That will be another turning point. The criminal justice point of view will have no answer.

It is not just wars and natural disasters that cause huge waves of migration. It is a swelling surge of people with hopes to find a dying opportunity their fathers could once expect. That is the reason for trafficking.

My experience includes many examples of migration networks where people provide services. Many of those networks are conducted by people smart enough to not resort to brutality or deception. Trafficking is a migration issue, not a criminal justice issue, and it is time we recognise the way this has turned into a hysterical issue mostly arising in the United States, and keep these concerns in proper proportion.

Re: "UK baby Charlie Gard dies after life support withdrawn", (BP, July 30).

The heartbreaking UK court ruling to turn off nine-month old Londoner Charlie Gard's life support will effectively redirect futile care for an infant with no hope of recovery towards children with a serious but reversible illness or injury. This improves equity and access to expensive treatments for the second child. There are no doubt ethical, moral and legal quandaries on whether to withdraw ventilator-support from a child dependent on machine-assisted breathing. The decisions are stressful and provoke strong emotions in families and critical-care staff.

Decisions on treatment withdrawal deliberated in courts delay the availability of scarce intensive care beds to others. Other seriously sick children cannot afford to wait for all-round resolution between families, clinicians and courts. Surely the high cost of intensive care and the diversion of scarce funds from other healthcare programmes bears serious thought even in times of crisis.

The health system cannot afford the large sums spent each day in prolonging the months-long suffering of a child with a severe illness.

In the remote event that Charlie was weaned off the ventilator with the novel treatment that his parents had demanded, he was likely to be condemned to full nursing care for the rest of his natural life.

Re: "Tsunami alert system 80% out of order, (BP, July 29).

This discovery was a great shame for owners and operators of those broken systems. Of course those systems should be in good condition at all times.

Those warning systems should be renovated and combined into systems people use on a daily basis such as community radio broadcasting, so people can help check whether they are functioning.

Re: "Cull island dogs", (PostBag, July 29).

Daneil Hugland says stray dogs should be killed. I believe they should be turned over to the shelters, and then spayed and neutered. If no homes can be found for them they should be euthanised.

It's more cruel not to euthanise them and to have too many dogs in shelters.