My name is Samira and this is my story.

I got pregnant with my first child at a very young age. Like many other young mothers, I was left alone with my baby. 

I wanted to give my daughter a future and decided to embrace a journey to Tunisia. I knew that this could be a life-threatening journey; however, I knew that I had to do it for my daughter and myself. Like many other women on the boat, we carried our newborns in our arms. We knew that embracing the journey with children would bring protection and blessings. Not only would their sinless souls be protected by God but also having children on board helps mothers avoid repatriation or detention. When we arrived in Tunisia, all of us, mothers and children, immediately were attended to; we received aid and health checkups from associations and immigration control. It was not an easy journey; however, this time we were not alone. Once in Tunisia, I met sisters and brothers from Talitha Kum that helped my daughter and me start our new life. They provided me with training to work in the agricultural sector and I was able to start a small business in goat and sheep breeding. Today, I am happily married with two children. I cannot be thankful enough to the Talitha Kum sisters and brothers for helping me start a new life with dignity. 

Like Samira, many people are forced to flee their country in search of safety or work. Unsafe migration increases their risk of falling victim to trafficking in persons. 

“Trafficking victims who do not have permission to work or stay in the country of exploitation face an extra layer of vulnerability. The fear of being exposed as an irregular migrant can be a powerful tool for traffickers, who typically threaten to file reports with the authorities and can more easily keep victims under exploitative conditions. Migrants make up a significant share of the detected victims in most global regions: 65 percent in Western and Southern Europe, 60 percent in the Middle East, 55 percent in East Asia and the Pacific, 50 percent in Central and South-Eastern Europe, and 25 percent in North America. Even labor migrants who have the right to work can be vulnerable to exploitation. For instance, because they are unaware of their labor rights” (UNODC. Global Report on Trafficking in person. 2020).