Ifeoma's Story: Risking your life in Libya

Description

When Ifeoma’s business in Nigeria failed and she got into debt, her husband kicked her out of her home. She was in a desperate situation, but then she met a woman who told her she could take her to Libya to work as a housemaid. Ifeoma saw this as a chance to earn money to pay off her debts. But the journey was not as she had expected. The pickup truck was overloaded, and the passengers were sitting tightly packed together like sardines in a box. The drivers were speeding like if they were flying, and some people fell off and died. They had very little food and were suffering from hunger and thirst. Having arrived in Libya, Ifeoma did get a job as a housemaid. She liked the work and the family she worked for were decent people, but the general situation in Libya was rapidly deteriorating. There was constant insecurity, and one day when heavy fighting broke out in the neighbourhood, the family fled from the city to their village in the countryside. Ifeoma had nowhere to stay anymore and no job. She had not thought about going to Europe before, but now she was fearing for her life if she stayed in Libya. Some friends offered her to join them on a smuggler’s boat. After three days at sea, the boat started to take in water. A fishing boat saw their distress and called the Libyan coast guard, but before the coast guard arrived, a Maltese ship rescued them and took them to Malta. Ifeoma says that if she had known how dangerous the journey to Libya would be, she would never have gone. She is telling others that they will put their lives at risk if they take that road.

Metadata

Published to Youtube on: 28/06/2020

Archived on: 30/09/2025

Original URL (may no longer be available): https://youtube.com/watch?v=JnhaI2S-6Pg