Egypt – Last week, in Egypt, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) launched “Aware Migrants”, a multicultural information sharing campaign focusing on migration and awareness raising. The campaign is supported by the Egyptian National Coordinating Committee on Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP) and funded by the Italian Ministry of Interior.

The campaign aims to sensitize potential migrants to the dangers of irregular journeys across the desert and the Mediterranean Sea. The campaign features the real risks through powerful video testimonials from migrants who have made it to Europe, having endured abuse from smugglers, and sometimes traffickers, along the way.

"We have a duty to inform our African sisters and brothers about the risks and dangers of the trip to the unknown," said Ambassador Naela Gabr, Chairperson of NCCPIM&TIP. "This campaign is an important tool highlighting the different forms of exploitation they could face. We must work together to stop irregular migration and smugglers."

The campaign, which will be largely disseminated through social media, will be complemented by awareness raising activities in cooperation with African embassies in Egypt. The aim is to provide the opportunity for migrants to exchange opinions and experiences.

The campaign is in line with NCCPIM&TIP's “National Strategy on Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration 2016-2026, which provides the overall institutional framework for the Egyptian Government to counter the smuggling of migrants and to ensure the protection of vulnerable migrants in Egypt.

In recent years, the number of migrants arriving to Italy from Egypt has increased. In 2016, IOM estimates that up to 10 per cent of all arrivals to Italy using the Central Mediterranean Route left from Egypt, while the remaining 90 per cent left from Libya.

“In light of the increased numbers, IOM has been working closely with NCCPIM&TIP and other stakeholders to raise awareness about the dangers of irregular migration," said Andrea Dabizzi, Head of the Migrant Assistance Unit in IOM Egypt. "Meanwhile, IOM and its partners have been promoting the provision of alternatives, including employment and skill enhancement programmes within Egyptian communities that generate high rates of irregular migrants."

Dabizzi also added that in 2016, more than 3,400 Egyptian youth benefited from IOM’s employability interventions including job fairs, technical and entrepreneurship trainings, as well as soft skills enhancements programmes in six Egyptian Governorates.

For further information, please contact Andrea Dabizzi, at IOM Egypt, Tel: +202 27365140, Email: iomegypt@iom.int