How a Spanish project keeps migrant mothers away from trafficking networks

Author: Mar Segura

This article is by Mar Segura and is part of Changing the Narrative. Articles in this series are written by student or early career journalists who took part in The Local’s training course on solutions-focused migration reporting. Find out more about the project here.

Fatima decided to leave her country when she was 23. She did not see any kind of future in the Ivory Coast, her home country, so, together with her four-year-old son, they travelled more than 4,000 kilometres to get to Morocco with a final destination of France in mind. Once in Morocco, Fatima tried to raise enough money to pay for the precarious boat crossing to Europe, which can cost up to €3,000 per person.

For Fatima, however, finding a job in Morocco was not easy; the unemployment rate for young adults like her is 42.8 percent in urban areas, according to the Moroccan Haut Commissariat au Plan.

Already really far from home and without the means to earn enough money, she was determined to do whatever it took to reach Europe.

Like Fatima, every year more women try to escape poverty and abuses. Even if they know the path won’t be easy, they embark on dangerous journeys, full of hope and enthusiasm to offer their children a bright future. And yet, they encounter endless obstacles just for doing something as human as seeking a better life.