Migration Trail podcast

Significant numbers of people feel forced to make dangerous journeys to get to Europe, and many lose their lives along the way. The situation shows little sign of changing, so long as the border, asylum and immigration policies that help create it remain in place. In our final episode we look at some of the partial solutions – some on the table and some not - as well as other options the EU's been pursuing. Plus: what happened to Abdurrahman, Fatima, Ebrima and Gulfam, and why? How far have their dreams been realized? Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

Tighter borders lead to an increase in irregular migration, which then leads to even more border controls. But what also increases with that are hidden economies. It's said that the income generated from human smuggling is twice as large as that from arms trafficking, drugs trafficking, and sex trafficking combined. Ebrima and Fatima take us into the world of those trapped outside the formal economy: women trafficked to Europe for prostitution, and those working for low wages in agriculture, because that's all the work they can get. Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

There are bottlenecks at many key staging points throughout Europe, where people’s journeys are paused for a few days, weeks, or even months. And in many of these places – Idomeni, Subotica, Foggia – people begin to create their own informal settlements. They have a reputation for being desperate and chaotic, but their residents and volunteers have also often created something quite human there: community. Calais is just one of those places - a place where nearly 10,000 people co-existed as they tried and retried to cross the English Channel. Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

As the countries surrounding Italy and Greece close their borders, people have begun to find themselves stuck in a variety of ‘temporary’ accommodation: squats, hotels, old factories, repurposed airport terminals, and camps. But is that good enough? Host countries, as well as the migrants themselves, have had to accept that people who had intended to simply pass through may be staying longer than planned, with no clear way forward. Meanwhile, we look at one group of people on the move who gets even less support than others: children travelling alone. Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

In late summer 2015, Abdurrahman and his family engaged smugglers to take them on the next step of their journey through Hungary. A year later, Ebrima and Abdulrahim arrive safely in Italy, but don’t have the same options to travel onwards. They apply for asylum there but find themselves frustrated by the wait, the boredom and a tangle of bureaucracy. People in Greek camps, too, are disappointed in a Europe that hasn’t come close to meeting their expectations. And for those who've given up on the idea of getting to the EU, like Syrians in Turkey, it's not easy either. Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

Abdurrahman's journey through the Balkans was difficult, but easier than it would be to do now. Through late 2015 and early 2016 the borders closed, one by one. Then fences started being put up. Eventually, the only option for those arriving in Greece after March of 2016 was to try and get through to an ever-busy Skype account to apply for relocation elsewhere in Europe, which often takes months. Life in limbo exacts a toll. The question is: do fences actually work, or do they just create new routes? Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

When questions about who deserves to claim asylum are raised, they’re often heavily qualified. There's a dizzying array of terms: refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, economic migrants... Is there a difference? Aren't they all the same? Gulfam is from a 'safe' country, even though he fled in fear of his life. And Fatima, a professional woman with a career in Ghana’s prison service, finds herself the victim of human trafficking. We take a closer look at how we define safety. What does it mean and who decides? Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

Even once you’ve arrived in the EU, the trip is far from over. For most people arriving in Greece and Italy in 2015 and early 2016, those countries were not the final destination. To people like Gulfam, Aburrahman and Ebrima, European countries to the north looked like a better bet, but there were still plenty of obstacles to overcome. Though it wasn’t always like this. In this episode we look back to the time before Europe abolished its internal borders to focus on policing the external ones, when very few people had to make risky journeys like these to get to the EU. What changed? Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

The Mediterranean Sea is the world’s most dangerous migration route. The crossing between Turkey and Greece is shorter, but also risky. Once in the boat, migrants like Abdulrahim, Ebrima, Abdurrahman and Gulfam find themselves faced with a range of unexpected hazards: equipment malfunctions, injuries and attacks, not to mention challenging sea conditions. We follow them as they take their chances and embark on the crossing. We also meet the search and rescue teams that patrol the waters to come to their aid. Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

The rubber dinghy has become the media's iconic image of migration: unseaworthy, overcrowded, carrying desperate people across dangerous stretches of water. But why are people taking these routes at all? Isn't there an easier way to get to the EU? Legally? Why not just get on a plane? We travel to Turkey and Libya to meet Abdurrahman, Gulfam and Ebrima, who are putting their lives in the hands of smugglers, and look at why this is their only option... Visit: www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

Risky, under-the-radar journeys to Europe are nothing new, but you wouldn’t think that from all the talk of a ‘migration crisis’ in the past couple of years. In 2015 the media was saturated with stories of migration, so you may think you know this story already. But you probably don’t. This story is deeper and stranger than it initially appears, with roots that extend way back. And it isn't over. Over this series we’re going to be taking a closer look at the factors that shaped the so-called ‘crisis’. We begin by asking why do people leave in the first place? We follow a handful of them – Abdulrahim, Ebrima, Abdurrahman and Fatima – as they set out on one of the most dangerous journeys of their lives. Visit: http://www.migrationtrail.com WARNING: This program and its online content contains audio and information about traumatic events that may be triggering to those who have experienced something similar. It may also be unsuitable for younger listeners.

Migration Trail: the project that uses maps, data and audio to join the dots of a story spread across Europe and beyond. Go to: www.migrationtrail.com