IOM: Guinea is a country of origin and transit for many irregular migrants
The IOM office in Conakry has launched a six-month nationwide information campaign to draw attention to the dangers of irregular migration and to promote legal and orderly migration from Guinea.
The campaign, which is funded by Belgium's Federal Ministry of the Interior, is carried out in close partnership with the Guinean authorities, civil society and media. It aims to fill an information void that exists among the general public and more particularly among young people who regularly embark on dangerous clandestine journeys in the hope of studying or working in Belgium and Europe.
As part of awareness raising activities, Public Service Announcements (PSAs) will be broadcast in the local Susu, Fulani, and Mandigo languages and in French on state-run Radiodiffusion Télévision Guinéenne (RTG) and on private radios. Articles will also be published in dailies and weeklies that enjoy wide readership among young people.
The campaign also enjoys the support of artists from the Youth Association for Development of Guinea, who will take part in a range of awareness raising activities, including concerts and shows throughout the country.
Roundtable discussions will also be organized in universities and some 6,000 informational brochures will be distributed to thousands of students in Conakry, Labe, and Kankan.
Many young Guineans who wish travel to Belgium for study or work find themselves in situations of vulnerability once they have been smuggled across international borders and find themselves without a regular immigration status. In some cases, Guinean students who were granted residence permits for educational purposes loose this status because they fail to attend university courses and validate exams.
Because of its geographic location, porous borders and ailing economy, Guinea is a country of origin and transit for many irregular migrants from West Africa.
