By Aja Dahaba
Gambian ‘backway’ returnees have staged a gathering recently to talk about the dangers of irregular migration. They are hoping to discourage would be backway travelers with stories of their ‘tragic’ experiences.
Youths Against Irregular Migration, (Yaim) continued the sensitisation caravan in the Lower River Region communities of Pakaliba, Bureng, Japineh, Sankuya and Jarra Soma in schools and community gatherings.
The caravan is also designed to raise awareness of irregular migration and its dangers and help end it among Gambian youths.
About 11,929 Gambians arrived in Italy and Greece through the Mediterranean, in 2016 alone, according to the International Organisation for Migration, IOM.
Dozens of villagers came out to listen to the message of the returnees.
A young returnee, Fatou Cham, also took time to speak on her experience of life in chaotic Libya.
Another returnee, Oumie Camara, dropped to tears as she relived her “painful experience”.
“We encouraged them to go because they had ambitions to make lives better for us here and there were no jobs they could do here,” a 45-year old woman said after hearing the touching stories of some of the returnees.
