Personal stories

Sissoko, from Mali: 'I put the child on the edge of the boat for two seconds. When I turned back around, he was no longer there'

For two years, Sissoko, a 31-year-old Malian, has been trying to recover from his crossing of the Mediterranean. Of around 130 people who boarded the ship, 62 died, including all the children on board.

Hell on earth: My illegal journey from Nigeria to Europe

For most young Africans, Europe and Western countries hold the promise of a happy life. Among them was Kelechi Goodluck, a Nigerian now living in Spain. He ignorantly embarked on a dangerous journey from Nigeria to Europe through the Sahara and across the Mediterranean. Things didn’t end up as he thought. He has now written a book about his experiences called 'A Gamble With Death'.

‘I used to have plans for the future, now I just live day to day’

In 2015, *Mohammed was arrested after being accused of selling Christian literature – a crime which carries the death penalty in his native Afghanistan. While in transit to the court, Mohammed managed to escape his captors after Taliban gunmen ambushed the police convoy he was traveling in. Now, he faces imminent deportation back to Afghanistan, because the country in which he sought refuge – Sweden – doesn’t consider his home province a conflict zone.

'I fear Spain will not be the same in a few years from now'

Pakistani migrant Rashid Ali moved to Spain in 2014 after spending almost eight years in Italy. In a conversation with InfoMigrants, he talks about how things are beginning to change for migrants and refugees in Spain as well.

Bleak life for a Moroccan migrant in southern Spain

Migrants working on Spanish farms face hard times due to the back-breaking jobs and low wages they receive. InfoMigrants met a Moroccan woman who struggles to make ends meet.

Arrested for being gay in Nigeria: 'My community is threatening to kill me if I return home'

John* was arrested and placed in custody this summer for homosexuality before eventually being released on bail. Today, threatened with death by his community, he lives in hiding and is thinking of leaving his country.

'I feel like I'm in a giant prison'

Abdelfeteh feels trapped, though he is not actually in prison. He has the right to stay in Italy, he has a job and he speaks good Italian. But due to the Dublin agreement, he feels like he is tied to where he first arrived. Increasing police checks in Italy remind him of his home country, Eritrea. He feels stuck between a rock and a hard place.

When disability is not impairment

Hossam was born deaf and mute in Syria. Later, as a Syrian refugee in Austria he decided his disability would not stand in the way of his job prospects. Today he works as a technician for an electronics giant in Vienna.

A Syrian refugee who landed on his feet

Mohamad Kayali came to Germany in 2015 after fleeing his home city of Aleppo. It has taken a long time, but he has managed to create a new home for himself and his family.

'I made up my mind not to go into prostitution': Meeting Precious

Precious left Nigeria for Europe with the help of a family friend, or so she thought. She tells InfoMigrants about traffickers, bureaucracy in Italy and a baby in a German 'anchor center'.

Slave in Tunisia: An Ivorian migrant’s ordeal (Part 1)

Since the summer of 2018, more and more migrants have left Tunisia to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. On the other side of the sea, Europe is becoming increasingly frustrated. Still, it seems Tunisia does little to prevent these journeys in the first place. Faced with a major economic and social crisis of its own, the government has let the migration problem slide -- it has yet to put a national asylum policy in place and has next to no infrastructure for migrants. InfoMigrants went to Tunisia where we met Jeanne d’Arc. For several months, the Ivorian migrant was a slave for a wealthy Tunisian family. Today, she feels completely abandoned and faces an uncertain future.

'Germany is becoming my homeland, but what is a homeland without a family?'

At just 17 years old, Mohammad Qasem has been seperated from his parents for over two years. His family stayed behind in Syria when the young refugee fled to Germany. He's hoping to reunite with his family soon, but Germany's asylum policy does not make this easy. He tries to stay upbeat in spite of these obstacles and hopes to one day become a doctor.