Poverty still forces Tunisians to escape

Tunis: Poverty forces thousands of Tunisians to escape the country by boat in the hope of finding prosperity in Europe. The nearest gateway is the Italian island of Lampedusa 128km away. While some successfully make the journey, the boats often capsize or sink causing the tragic deaths of poor Tunisians. The families of the victims often find themselves alone and in the dark about the fate of their sons.

“The Tunisian government should help us find a solution, because poverty was the reason why our sons were so desperate to leave,” a mother of one of the victims told Gulf News.

When news of a recent boat sinking reached Ferjani Bin Halima he was panicking over the fate of his son Nidal on board.

“As a father you do not want to lose hope that your child is alive,” he said. “However, the Tunisian authorities were unable and unwilling to provide any definitive information which made us very tense,” he said.

He believes the government has an obligation to search for missing persons. He also believes that they should find ways to find suitable work for these desperate young men.

For Najat Sahnoon, a widow and mother of three, her son Bilal was her only hope to help support the family. “Now he is gone and the government has neither helped to locate him or provided my family with any assistance,” she says.

Tunisia has undergone profound changes in a short period of time, beginning with its revolution which kicked off the “Arab Spring” which swept through most of the region. After overthrowing despotic leader Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali, Tunisians are left to piece together a democratic government after decades of corruption and misuse of government money. Joblessness, which was the spark of the revolution, still remains an overwhelming issue for most Tunisians.

Sonia Bardi, has not found work since 2007, and is growing impatient with the new government’s pace to create jobs. However, she has not considered taking the “journey of death” to reach Europe.

“Young people shouldn’t be faced with unemployment or death, the government should do its upmost to deter people from making this desperate choice,” she said.

Even if many Tunisians make it to Europe, they will face many problems as Arabs hold a marginalised status as illegals.

— Sara Dabbar is a journalist based in Tunisia