Human
Trafficking is a crime everywhere and the “back way”
business is just that – a crime against humanity! It is organized crime and it
is time the Gambian Government take this crime seriously! How many lives have
been lost through the “back way”? When will this be taken for the serious crime
against humanity that it is?
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| Picture courtesy of Murcia Today |
Those
operating these Human Trafficking Rings should be arrested and charged for
endangering lives and the death of those who perished at sea. It seems like
nothing is a big deal to us and we keep saying “Yalla morko dogal”, but beh
kange? We have romanticized this “back way” phenomenon, and it’s consuming our youths. You
hear people say “suma dom bi dafa buga dem back way”,
“kee demna back way last week”, or “mann passi back way rek
mormafi tek”, as if “back way” is an ideal thing to do. It really beats me!
Of
late, there has been a hike in “back way” action in the Niumi area, especially
in Barra. The boats have been departing from Jinack Island and the fee
is D35, 000. The human Trafficking Rings will collect as much money as they
can, and fill up the boats way beyond their capacity. Even at capacity, these
“Gali Serer’s) are not meant for such a journey, let alone ten times their
capacity. These journeys are a deadly arrangement from the onset and a serious
crime against humanity. I live 6, 415 mile away from Gambia, yet I am aware of
these criminal transactions. So how come the Government is not cracking down on
these criminal enterprises?
This
latest uptick has also generated self-pressure on other parents to try
purr lejanteh pass for their kids to take the “back way” too, since all the
other kids are going. Just on Monday, I had a conversation with a relative who
was solicited for passi “back way” regarding the extreme danger to the lives of
these kids, with such a risky journey. The D35, 000 has been collected, and now
58 are dead and gone for good. If the D35,000
was borrowed, it is still owed. And tomorrow the Human
Trafficking Rings will resume business as usual. Unless we stop romanticizing
the “back way” and the government gets serious about stopping it, we will keep
waking up to such tragedies!
