In the Afghanistan of the Taliban, listening to or playing music is considered a sin. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music has been closed since the hardline Islamists returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. The students and teachers of the school fled the country and found refuge in Portugal. Despite the difficulties of exile, they hope to revive their school and thus preserve the Afghan musical heritage.
António Vitorino, Director General of the UN migration agency, posted a speech for International Day of Migrants (December 18) on YouTube. He warned against the politicization of migration and called for acknowledgment of migrants' contributions to society.
Authorities in Portugal have arrested a total of 35 people on human trafficking charges in addition to allegations of money laundering and falsifying documents. Dozens of migrants were reported to have fallen prey to the trafficking ring.
Portugal, faced with a lack of manpower in the tourism and construction sectors, has modified its "foreigners' law" to facilitate immigration, including provisions for "digital nomads."
The growing demand for cheap labor in Portugal has created opportunities for migrant workers. But it has also increased the risks of exploitation and human trafficking. A group of experts has called on Portuguese authorities to do more to tackle the problem.
Europe's demand for fruit has turned Portugal's Alentejo region into a goldmine for landowners and corporations. Their laborers are mostly Asians hoping for a better life. But they pay a high price.
European countries are working out how to provide education and integration opportunities to the more than four million people who have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. Two million of them are children, according to UNESCO.
Portugal and Morocco signed an agreement on Wednesday, highlighting legal minutiae for Moroccans to come to live and work in the EU member state. The deal is part of ongoing efforts to fight illegal migration and human trafficking on both sides.
Forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, members of the Afghan women's youth football team and their families have sought refuge in Portugal and are back training in the Lisbon suburbs.
Farm laborers from Asia flock to the European country known for its booming agricultural exports. The workers are often brought by gangs of traffickers and are forced to endure inhumane living conditions.
The Portuguese government has said it will do away with its controversial Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). But neither its own staff union nor migrant advocacy groups are happy about the new solution of putting other police forces in charge.
Migrants in Portugal, especially undocumented ones, are among those affected by a boom in tourism and gentrification. A Portuguese photographer has been documenting their plight in Lisbon as they are forced to move to abandoned buildings on the outskirts of the capital.