PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
IOM moves against illegal migration in Guinea
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Some 500 unemployed graduates in Guinea are being integrated into a socio-economic reintegration programme in the regions of Boke, Mamou, Faranah, Kankan and N'Zerekore through financial support from Switzerland, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Guinea, Ali Abdi, told PANA Tuesday.
Mr. Abdi said IOM was supporting the funding of the project to prevent young people from embarking on illegal migration, which affects a large proportion of the youth in Guinea.
Between October 2010 and February 2011, IOM has registered about 29 youth deported, including three women and a minor, from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Israel, where they were imprisoned for several months.
"Several other Guineans are still imprisoned in Angola and Mozambique (...). We want to avoid such situations, which prompted us to implement a reintegration programme for deportees through the funding of some income generating activities, including general trade, hair salons and restaurants," said the IOM Chief of Mission.
Abdi said in 2010, Belgian relocation camps admitted almost 200 refugees from Guinea monthly and the majority were pupils and students, who found themselves immediately in an illegal situation and deprived of any social security coverage.
The IOM team also conducted an awareness campaign at the Kofi Annan and Lansana Conte universities in Conakry, to discourage students from embarking on illegal migration.
The IOM experts told students about the risks and dangers of illegal immigration and "proper rules" for travel to Europe if they wished to continue their studies.
-0- PANA AC/TBM/CEA/BOS 7June2011
Mr. Abdi said IOM was supporting the funding of the project to prevent young people from embarking on illegal migration, which affects a large proportion of the youth in Guinea.
Between October 2010 and February 2011, IOM has registered about 29 youth deported, including three women and a minor, from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Israel, where they were imprisoned for several months.
"Several other Guineans are still imprisoned in Angola and Mozambique (...). We want to avoid such situations, which prompted us to implement a reintegration programme for deportees through the funding of some income generating activities, including general trade, hair salons and restaurants," said the IOM Chief of Mission.
Abdi said in 2010, Belgian relocation camps admitted almost 200 refugees from Guinea monthly and the majority were pupils and students, who found themselves immediately in an illegal situation and deprived of any social security coverage.
The IOM team also conducted an awareness campaign at the Kofi Annan and Lansana Conte universities in Conakry, to discourage students from embarking on illegal migration.
The IOM experts told students about the risks and dangers of illegal immigration and "proper rules" for travel to Europe if they wished to continue their studies.
-0- PANA AC/TBM/CEA/BOS 7June2011
