In Pictures

In Pictures: Migrant women survive at the gates of Europe

Many women migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who are seeking to reach Europe also face a bleak situation in Morocco.

Many migrants live in peripheral neighbourhoods of the country's big cities. Some of the best known are Mesnana, Branes and Boukalef in Tangier or Takadoum in Rabat. Migrants with less economic means survive in forests and nearby fields. In the photo, a group of migrants returns to Boukalef after a day of begging for money. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

26 Apr 2020

Sylvi arrived in Morocco after a weeks-long journey via the Niger desert, considered one of the most dangerous routes for sub-Saharan migrants and refugees who want to reach Europe. She had fled Cameroon, where she faced gender-based violence.

Sylvi says making that journey was far less daunting than the reality she now faces in the North African country after her boat to Europe was stopped before it could cross the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain.

“It took me less than 20 days to get from my country to the boat that would take me to Europe,” she told Al Jazeera. “The entire nightmare began after being intercepted by the Moroccan royal navy, when I realised that I had to survive here.”

With her savings spent, she was forced to fend for herself. For a while, she found shelter in an unfinished house that she shared with 12 other migrants. In the hope of earning a little money, she swept the streets of the neighbourhood. Recently, the house’s owner forced the migrants to leave and Sylvi moved to another house with a fellow Cameroonian.

Many of the women migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who are seeking to reach Europe also face a bleak situation in Morocco. With no documents and no access to state services, many rely on limited support from local NGOs and have little choice but to beg for money in order to feed their families and pay rent.

They also face harassment from members of the local community as well as exploitation at the hands of gangs who control the boats that would take them to Spain. Since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 20 in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, people have only been allowed to go outside to buy food or medicine, meaning it has become even harder to earn money or even to beg. As of April 26, Morocco had reported at least 4,065 cases and 161 deaths.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan authorities in 2018 launched a crackdown against undocumented migrants by sending them to southern towns far from the coast and borders with Spanish territory. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees have attempted to reach Europe from North Africa, with thousands dying at sea.

In 2018, Morocco became the most popular departure point for migrants and refugees seeking to reach Europe, passing Libya. According to figures from the International Organization for Migration, more than 15,000 migrants arrived in Spain via the sea route in 2019.

According to local NGO Walking Borders, an average of three people a day have died attempting to reach Spain via the sea route this year.

Ernestinne, a 24-year-old from Cameroon, rents part of a house in Rabat. She pays almost twice the market rate. Landlords know that it is very difficult for undocumented migrants to find housing and often inflate rents. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Ernestinne works from her house as a hairdresser and makes wigs for her neighbours in order to support her daughter and partner, who has a heart condition. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

'I cannot beg on the street, I cannot, I have two hands and two feet, I can work even illegally,' Ernestinne says. Many women used to beg in the squares and markets, or sweep the streets of the neighbourhood in the hope of making some money, but this has not been possible since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

If migrants are unable to pay the rent on time, many are forced to leave the house immediately, even if there are minors residing there. Ernestinne has only managed to save 57 of the 90 euros ($97) she needs for rent as there were a lot of medical expenses that month. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Christelle lives in Tangier with her son Ivan. She used to beg in the squares to support her small family but this has not been possible since the government imposed a lockdown in March. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Local NGOs distribute humanitarian aid, but most of the time, it is not enough. Pictured here is a serving of rice for mother and son for a week. To get ahead, Christelle prepares typical Ivory Coast food and sells it to her fellow countrymen. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

The scar on her neck reminds Christelle of why she fled the Ivory Coast. When her father died, she was heir to the family home. Her paternal family did not agree, and they tried to burn her alive. She fled in the hope of travelling to Europe. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Christelle carries Ivan everywhere. She does not want him to learn to walk since if he does, he will have to pay for his place in a plastic boat as an adult. She sometimes goes to the supermarket to ask other customers to buy diapers for Ivan. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Mother and son suffer from a respiratory condition caused by mould on the walls of the house. The only window they have faces a mechanical garage, and they cannot leave the front door open for fear the police could enter. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Gender-based violence forced Sylvi to take one of the most dangerous routes to Europe, the Niger desert route. With all her savings, she paid to be brought from Cameroon to a boat in Morocco in less than three weeks. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

After being intercepted by the police, Sylvi was left to fend for herself. She found shelter in a house with 12 other people who were waiting for their turns to board a boat to travel to Spain. The owner of the house recently forced all of them to leave and Sylvi had to find a new place to stay. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

Sylvi used to sweep the streets of her neighbourhood in order to raise a little money but now she does not go outside amid the strict coronavirus lockdown. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]

A group of sub-Saharan youths prepare to enter the water with the intention of reaching Spain. [Teresa Palomo/Al Jazeera]