The continued calls to stop illegal and irregular migration to certain parts of Europe countries, especially Belgium by the youth and women, have been intensified through awareness programme.
The advocacy and awareness programme tagged ‘’Safe travelling awareness for at-risk youth (SAAY), held in Benin City, was organised by a non-governmental organisation, Pathfinder Justice Initiative and Ibz Federal Public Service, Home Affairs, in collaboration with Belgium Government.
According to the organisers, the programme is aimed at educating Nigerian youths on the risk involved in travelling through illegal ways to achieve their clandestine motives.
In his lead advocacy, the anchor person and Director-General, Immigration Service General Management, Belgium Embassy, Abuja, Freddy Roosemont, said that one of the reasons for irregular migration featuring human trafficking and prostitution is to pursue the best possible conditions so that the people will be assured of better future even without recourse to the country’s economy.
Citing Belgium as a case study, Roosemont said that migration could happen in safe manner and regular way within the legal framework, noting that the country offers numerous opportunities to travel legally provided the rules are met so as to protect the migrants and the country.
‘’Belgium is not a land of milk and honey as travelling through the Mediterranean Sea by desperation, poses much danger and putting them to human traffickers who have the goal to get much money in the illicit business of prostitution,’’ Roosemont said.
He maintained that people who are forced to live in irregular stay, without social safety risk economic exploitation and in the end, women risk ending up in prostitution to satisfy their traffickers, forgetting they can be arrested and repatriated to Nigeria.
According to him, about 5,000 Nigerians are living in Belgium legally, insisting that the statistics of Nigerians that have sought asylum in Belgium in 2022 were 382 and in 2023, 370.
He, therefore, advised Nigerians to take the campaign against irregular migration seriously as it could curb the risk journey through the Mediterranean Sea.
He further advised any intending traveler to pass through regular channels or, alternatively, invest in education to build on the realisation of his/her dreams in Nigeria.
Representatives of various bodies present at the event attributed the illegal migration to poor government policies, which promote bad economy, bad infrastructural developments, among others.
They called on governments at all levels to pursue people-oriented policies and programmes to stem the trend, arguing that most people involved in irregular migration are graduates of various disciplines.
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