| NOT BEING ALLOWED TO CROSS THE BORDER THEY ARE STRANDED IN MOROCCO | SUB-SAHARAN PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT TO VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND BRUTAL DEPORTATIONS |
| Without any legal possibilities of crossing the border, sub-Saharan migrants and refugees are stranded on Moroccan soil just outside Melilla. They live in improvised camps spread out in the nearby woods and on the slopes of Mount Gurugú, a hillock overlooking Melilla from Morocco. | The living conditions in the camps are dire. Those staying there shelter under plastics and branches, without access to latrines, water or food. Serious diseases are common due to the lack of hygiene. Some of the camps are controlled by mafia groups and a large number of the sub-Saharan women are victims of human trafficking, who are smuggled to Europe for sexual exploitation. In many cases, they are forced into prostitution long before they reach Europe and are sexually abused along their journey. Many women end up pregnant and are forced to have unsafe abortions. |
| In addition to the hard living conditions, the sub-Saharan migrants and refugees live in constant fear of the Moroccan military forces who often raid the camps. During those raids the sub-Saharan inhabitants are violently abused and deported to the Algerian border or other deserted areas further south. | The last option for the migrants and refugees without sufficient resources to pay smugglers is jumping the border fences. This remains a life threatening undertaking because of the barbed wire, the sheer height of the fences and the violence they encounter from the Moroccan military and the Spanish Guardia Civil. |
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