The information flow about the roughly 22,000 migrants who have arrived on Spain's Canary Islands this year is slow and often intransparent – from authorities, NGOs and locals alike. The lack of communication and absence of facts have long helped fuel rumors and xenophobia.
Moustapha arrived in the Canary Islands in 2006 as part of the previous influx of mass arrivals at that time. He befriended a young compatriot from Morocco who arrived there by boat in November this year.
18-year-old Babacar is one of more than 8,000 African migrants who made his way to the Canary Islands archipelago in November 2020. When InfoMigrants spoke to him, Babacar had just been taken in by a Canary Islands resident who decided to help him.
In recent months, thousands of migrants have been taken in by hotels on Spain's Canary Islands. This has caused tension in the islands' vital tourist industry, which was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. It remains unclear if the migrants' presence will hurt the popularity of the holiday destination at all -- but xenophobia is on the rise.
On the Canary Islands, the new wave of migrant arrivals is becoming a real challenge for the archipelago's long-standing culture of hospitality. The islands have been hit hard by the economic crisis that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now facing the biggest migrant influx since 2006.
A hard-hitting book, “Magic system: African footballers and the modern slave trade” tells the story of the newest type of human trade: that of African footballers who are ready to do anything in the hope of getting to Europe.
Solitude, too much time to kill and a need for money: All these factors make sports bets or gambling tempting for asylum seekers. We investigated the phenomenon in Germany, an Eldorado for slot machines and sports betting shops.
In Germany, when a foreigner drops out of school without a diploma, they have four times less of a chance to find work as a German would in the same situation. The influx of refugee children has exacerbated the problem.
The documentary film "When Paul came over the Sea" tells the true story of Cameroonian migrant Paul and his perilous journey to Germany. While accompanying his protagonist, filmmaker Jakob Preuss was confronted with the question over whether he should step outside his role and help Paul make his way.