Louis Birabaluge sx
The images of immigrants going to Europe are familiar to us. We know them because of the victims of the desert and the Libyan prisons or the Mediterranean Sea. Recently, Italian refusal to allow the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking to enter its territory has once again brought to the fore the issue of the drama of immigrants and their reception by northern countries. Even if France has offered to welcome on its land the immigrants on board this humanitarian ship, Macron’s country is however no better than other European countries.
In addition to this well known immigration, there is another immigration less advertized. It is the immigration that has developed, going from West Africa to the Middle East and whose victims are unknown to the general public. Sierra Leone is a good example of this phenomenon.
The New Paradise
An immigration business has developed in Sierra Leone. Indeed, groups of smugglers do not hesitate to present Middle East countries to young people as the new paradise. Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Oman… are the new dreamed countries. Who are invited? Mainly are young girls from villages and sometimes from towns to whom they promise jobs. To travel, two payment methods are possible. Either the smuggling agent covers all costs; or the payment is divided between the smuggling agent and the family.
To ensure the trip, some families sell a lot of their belongings or even contract debts in order to facilitate the movement of their child with the hope that on his return the family will be well. Once in the land of dreams, the young girls are invited to work until they repay. And this is where their whole Calvary begins. Being at the mercy of smugglers and unscrupulous bosses, the girls find themselves without any defense and the sums to be reimbursed are overestimated. This keeps them in a state of slavery because no legal contract is signed between the smuggling agent and the travelers. Over the years, I have come to know more than 10 cases of young girls from a village of Sierra Leone who have travelled. And so far, their families have benefited nothing. They are still waiting!
The magic of social media
The business of immigration to the Middle East is flourishing thanks to the magic of social media. Images on Facebook, Whatsapp and Tik Tok show young smiling girls with passports in their hands. Once in the country of destination, these same girls appear very happy. And yet, behind these smiling faces is often hidden a suffering that we cannot imagine. Once, I was contacted by a girl I knew before. She is in Saudi Arabia. She was asking me for a help to go back home, because she told me she could not bear the burden anymore. And my question was whether with the money she earns she could not afford to pay her return ticket. And her answer was no. Because, she said, for five years all her salary has been used to pay back the guy who helped her to travel. She receives only a small share to pay for food and clothing.
The funny thing is that my interlocutor always appears on Facebook looking very fulfilled. And her fake 'happy look' attracts other girls. More than going to 'work', this immigration to the Middle East is a kind of modern slavery; ultimately a human trafficking. And who benefits from it? The smugglers and the people for whom these girls offer their services. And which kind of 'job' do they really get? Only God knows, since they are girls who are not specialized in any business. As long as a country like Sierra Leone does not offer young people job opportunities and reasons to stay there, there is reason to fear that this immigration business will continue to grow to the benefit of smugglers and to the great misfortune of families and girls to whom paradise is promised in the Middle East.
The images of immigrants going to Europe are familiar to us. We know them because of the victims of the desert and the Libyan prisons or the Mediterranean Sea. Recently, Italian refusal to allow the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking to enter its territory has once again brought to the fore the issue of the drama of immigrants and their reception by northern countries. Even if France has offered to welcome on its land the immigrants on board this humanitarian ship, Macron’s country is however no better than other European countries.
In addition to this well known immigration, there is another immigration less advertized. It is the immigration that has developed, going from West Africa to the Middle East and whose victims are unknown to the general public. Sierra Leone is a good example of this phenomenon.
The New Paradise
An immigration business has developed in Sierra Leone. Indeed, groups of smugglers do not hesitate to present Middle East countries to young people as the new paradise. Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Oman… are the new dreamed countries. Who are invited? Mainly are young girls from villages and sometimes from towns to whom they promise jobs. To travel, two payment methods are possible. Either the smuggling agent covers all costs; or the payment is divided between the smuggling agent and the family.
To ensure the trip, some families sell a lot of their belongings or even contract debts in order to facilitate the movement of their child with the hope that on his return the family will be well. Once in the land of dreams, the young girls are invited to work until they repay. And this is where their whole Calvary begins. Being at the mercy of smugglers and unscrupulous bosses, the girls find themselves without any defense and the sums to be reimbursed are overestimated. This keeps them in a state of slavery because no legal contract is signed between the smuggling agent and the travelers. Over the years, I have come to know more than 10 cases of young girls from a village of Sierra Leone who have travelled. And so far, their families have benefited nothing. They are still waiting!
The magic of social media
The business of immigration to the Middle East is flourishing thanks to the magic of social media. Images on Facebook, Whatsapp and Tik Tok show young smiling girls with passports in their hands. Once in the country of destination, these same girls appear very happy. And yet, behind these smiling faces is often hidden a suffering that we cannot imagine. Once, I was contacted by a girl I knew before. She is in Saudi Arabia. She was asking me for a help to go back home, because she told me she could not bear the burden anymore. And my question was whether with the money she earns she could not afford to pay her return ticket. And her answer was no. Because, she said, for five years all her salary has been used to pay back the guy who helped her to travel. She receives only a small share to pay for food and clothing.
The funny thing is that my interlocutor always appears on Facebook looking very fulfilled. And her fake 'happy look' attracts other girls. More than going to 'work', this immigration to the Middle East is a kind of modern slavery; ultimately a human trafficking. And who benefits from it? The smugglers and the people for whom these girls offer their services. And which kind of 'job' do they really get? Only God knows, since they are girls who are not specialized in any business. As long as a country like Sierra Leone does not offer young people job opportunities and reasons to stay there, there is reason to fear that this immigration business will continue to grow to the benefit of smugglers and to the great misfortune of families and girls to whom paradise is promised in the Middle East.