#LetterFromLibya
Today I'll be doing a small thread on illegal immigration as it affects my people. Thread.
Today I'll be doing a small thread on illegal immigration as it affects my people. Thread.
I'm from Benin and proudly so, but for some time there has been an ugly trend affecting so many around me. #LetterFromLibya
This has to do with the urge by so. many to travel abroad at all cost. It is difficult to find a family in Benin without a child or 2 in Europe. #LetterFromLibya
This trend picked up in the early 90s when some young men discovered how to get to Europe using land routes through the desert. #LetterFromLibya
At that time and for a while it was relatively easy to cross over to Europe and so the early set of guys who made it accross came back with wonderful tales of Europe and more people joined the desert route. #LetterFromLibya
Many came back with money to build houses and buy cars and so many wanted to travel not knowing the kind of things they did over there to make the money. #LetterFromLibya
It is no secret that a lot of them engage in prostitution and all forms of crime to make money to send back home but who really cares in this our greedy generation. #LetterFromLibya
And so many more embarked on this journey. Parents sold their properties to send their kids on this journey. People took loans to fund this journey with the hope of paying back when they "hammer" in Europe. #LetterFromLibya
I personally know a man who gave his daughter to a trafficker to be taken to Europe obviously for prostitution. This man wasn't even poor. #LetterFromLibya
Unfortunately the criminal activities of some Nigerians in Europe made many European countries to get tougher on their borders and so crossing into Europe became more difficult. #LetterFromLibya
Many Nigerians died in the desert. I was told that you would see many corpses at various levels of decomposition on the way to Libya. #LetterFromLibya
Now it is even harder and more dangerous to attempt the crossing especially after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. #LetterFromLibya
I know many who attempted this journey, some died and others came back vowing not to attempt it again. #LetterFromLibya
They tell many stories of rape torture and murder along the desert by Tuaregs and in Libya itself. #LetterFromLibya
Nigerians are now being sold as slaves like commodities in the market. #LetterFromLibya
One guy told me of how they went hungry and thirsty in the scorching desert sun. How he wished he could just die to escape the pain. #LetterFromLibya
There isn't enough awareness about the horrors of this journey so many are still ignorant and are fooled by those who paint wonderful pictures of Europe for them. #LetterFromLibya
I believe strongly that the government is not doing enough to sensitize people on the reality of this trip of death. #LetterFromLibya
Meanwhile the greed that has overtaken Nigerians is another factor. The desire to get money at all cost has eaten deep into our society. #LetterFromLibya
Imagine someone's father sending his own daughter to Italy for prostitution so he can build a bigger house and drive flashy cars. It's just terrible. #LetterFromLibya
This is the same factor behind the increase in kidnappings, robberies, rituals and all forms of fraud. Yahoo yahoo readily comes to mind. #LetterFromLibya
I have lamented on the failure of government in this matter but we decided to do our own little part in sensitizing people on the matter. #LetterFromLibya
We put together a short documentary with an accompanying soundtrack which we hope will reach someone and discouraging him/her from embarking on such a journey. #LetterFromLibya
