A 15-year-old boy who fled the African nation of Gambia and only succeeded in making it to Europe on his second try has asked Italians to adopt him.
Fatou is only 15 years old and from Gambia. Yet he has already fled twice towards Europe in the hope of a better future. And he did it alone -- since he does not have anyone to accompany him after losing his entire family.
After failing on his first attempt and suffering torture in Libya, he managed to flee a second time and was rescued by the Geo Barents ship run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), from which he disembarked this week.
Once safe, Fatou said what he had long held in his heart: "I dream of being adopted by an Italian family."
Rescued by MSF's Geo Barents off Libya
Telling his story was Fulvia Conte, search and rescue coordinator on board the Geo Barents ship. During its latest mission the crew rescued 168 people from two dinghies off the Libyan coast.
Of this total, most -- 117 -- are minors, 110 of them unaccompanied, according to MSF.
There are "so many, between the ages of 14 and 17, some of whom even 12 and 13 years old," Conte said. "Then there are very young infants and toddlers that were travelling with their mothers. One of them is only a few months old."
The first time, Fatou was "pushed back by the Libyan Coast Guard at sea," Conte said.
"They took them to detention centers," she added, "where, not having the money to pay for another journey, he was tortured, suffered forced labor, and had his arm broken."
"Then he finally managed to scrape up the money for another journey and was rescued by the Geo Barents. He is very sweet, since he said that his dream was to be adopted by an Italian family."
Surge in unaccompanied minors
The increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors is not easy to explain, she added, noting that "the causes are very complex" and "the escape is very difficult and costly. They tell us that families try to allow the youngest member of the family, the one with more hope of survival, to leave."
The real problem, she added, "is that we continue to deal with the migration issue as an emergency for years and years."
"This is a faulty approach," Conte added.
Author: Vincenzo Chiumarulo