The Advocacy Network Against Irregular Migration (ANAIM),has on Friday, August 20th , engaged over 100 youth in Waterloo on the risk and dangers involved in irregular migration.
In his opening remarks, Daniel Koroma, Programme Manager, ANAIM, said migration is mostly common among youth populace in the country and that was why they were targeting youth-both male and female, to ensure that they are not lure into travel using the wrong method.
He said migration itself is never a bad thing and that they were not campaigning against migration, adding that migration is good when one has correct and required document and uses the correct channel to travel elsewhere.
Koroma said people who venture into travelling through irregular means are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and abuse. He said such migrants were also in danger of being exploited by crime organisations, involved in human trafficking and migrants smuggling and other crimes that constitute serious violation of human rights of its victims.
He said irregular migration includes human trafficking, illegal border crossing, and illegal transportation of person across the border (smuggling), and overstay on territory of the country after the period of the legal stay expires.
In his statement, Sheku Bangura, Executive Director of the Advocacy Network Against Irregular Migration said the ministry of Social Welfare has funded his organization to carry out sensitization about the dangers of irregular migration to the general populace especially the youths.
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Bangura said he had once taken the venture into irregular migration through Temple Run, which he described as a life gamble with over 90% chances of losing one's life. "I have once engaged in temple run under deception by friends and neighbors and you know that he who feels it knows it, therefore I will encourage all to not take that venture at all," Bangura stated".
The Executive Director noted that despite the economic challenges in Sierra Leone which is common to other African nations, there were opportunities that youth can explore like in Agriculture, Skills training, businesses and other areas.
The ANAIM boss said the sensitization program is to help people make informed decisions before attempting to travel outside Sierra Leone. He concluded that according to International Organisation for Migration report over 30,000 Irregular migrants died or disappeared between 2014 to 2018.
