The IOM office in Conakry has launched a six-month nationwide
information campaign to draw attention to the dangers of irregular
migration and to promote legal and orderly migration from Guinea.

The campaign, which is funded by Belgium's Federal Ministry of
the Interior, is carried out in close partnership with the Guinean
authorities, civil society and media. It aims to fill an
information void that exists among the general public and more
particularly among young people who regularly embark on dangerous
clandestine journeys in the hope of studying or working in Belgium
and Europe.  

As part of awareness raising activities, Public Service
Announcements (PSAs) will be broadcast in the local Susu, Fulani,
and Mandigo languages and in French on state-run Radiodiffusion
Télévision Guinéenne (RTG) and on private
radios. Articles will also be published in dailies and weeklies
that enjoy wide readership among young people.

The campaign also enjoys the support of artists from the Youth
Association for Development of Guinea, who will take part in a
range of awareness raising activities, including concerts and shows
throughout the country.

Roundtable discussions will also be organized in universities
and some 6,000 informational brochures will be distributed to
thousands of students in Conakry, Labe, and Kankan.

Many young Guineans who wish travel to Belgium for study or work
find themselves in situations of vulnerability once they have been
smuggled across international borders and find themselves without a
regular immigration status. In some cases, Guinean students who
were granted residence permits for educational purposes lose this
status because they fail to attend university courses and validate
exams.  

Because of its geographic location, porous borders and ailing
economy, Guinea is a country of origin and transit for many
irregular migrants from West Africa. 

For more information, please contact:

Innocent Abressé

IOM Conakry

Tel. +22463406753

E-mail: "mailto:KIAbresse@iom.int">KIAbresse@iom.int