Considered an important region of emigration, today Morocco is not just a sending country, but also a transit hub for many young migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa, and a host country as well, leading an ambitious migration policy towards the migrants willing to settle down in the country. Nonetheless, the complexity and dangerousness of migratory roads crossed by the migrants willing to get to Europe are unacceptable. Every year, thousands of young sub-Saharan Africans risk their lives in the desert and crossing the Mediterranean.

In this perspective, the project “Safe Journey” started, in response to the needs identified by the European Union within the European Agenda on Migration 2015 for an urgent response to the migration crisis, and by the Declaration of Malta about the implementation of information campaigns on the prevention of irregular migration. In addition, the internal social needs of Morocco were also taken into consideration, in order to respond to the sustainable development goals 5, 8, and 10 (respectively on gender equality, decent work, economic growth, and reduction of inequalities). Morocco faces a high unemployment rate and a major factor of repulsiveness, mostly in the regions of Beni Mellal-Khénifra, Tangiers-Tetouan, Casablanca-Settat, and Marrakech-Safi, which are the target areas of the campaign. In addition, the current demand for low-skilled labor, especially for agricultural and domestic jobs in Europe, caused an increase in the number of migrant women, and therefore the urgency of a gender-based approach to the question.

The Campaign will perfectly meet both European and Moroccan needs. It will develop differentiated channels to reach specific target groups: people ready to emigrate, teenage students (minors) and their educators, Moroccans and sub-Saharans looking for a job, and socio-economic influencers who can contribute to local economic development. It will work to increase the visibility about the risks of irregularities (such as loss of life and human trafficking) among all these groups. It will focus on presenting concrete and realistic alternatives to migration, always aiming to prevent irregular migration, by promoting local development.

The Project aims to outreach to local communities in the regions of Beni Mellal-Khénifra, Casablanca-Settat, Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima and Marrakech-Safi, about irregular migration, through the implementation of a campaign of information on the multiple risks of illegal travel, as well as offering legal and safer alternatives.

The project targets potential migrants, Moroccan and Sub-Saharan citizens, for whom migration is a life project, or those who do not have access to official reception and counselling services; to secondary school students and educators, through the implementation of a finalized out-of-school program integrating the development dimension and opting for a critical and responsible approach to migration. The project also targets the category of people looking for a job, providing them with training and work counselling services.

The intervention aims to provide potential migrants with information about the real dangers of illegal travel and the indifference of traffickers to the security and well-being of migrants. The project will also intervene to explain legal alternatives and employment opportunities in the country of origin, and will end with the disclosure of the results and key messages of the campaign.

The goal is to contribute to the change of perception and vision of the irregular migration phenomenon through an information campaign aiming at raising awareness of the social context, with an emphasis on the voices of return migrants, whose stories and experiences will help to break down the myths related to irregular migration.

Funded by the European Union, the project is the result of a multiple partnership bringing together the Trade Union Institute for Development Cooperation (l’Institut Syndical de Coopération au Développement – ISCOS); the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (Fonds andalou des Municipalités pour la Solidarité Internationale – AFMIS), and the National Association beyond the Borders – Morocco (l’Association Nationale Outre les Frontières – Maroc, ANOLF).