CAIRO - Focusing on the story of a poor Egyptian family experiencing the loss of their three young sons as they attempt to reach Italy by sea, relying on people smugglers, the dramatic film The Road to Atalia highlights the many dangers unaccompanied minors face on the perilous journey and in Italy itself, if they indeed get there. The film, starring Egyptian actor Amr Waked, premiered this week at the Italian Cultural Institute in the upmarket area of Zamalek, and was watched by many public- and private-sector officials, as well as people working for international organisations. The purpose of the 40-minute film, funded by the Italian Government, is to raise awareness of the dangers of the illegal migration of Egyptian youngsters hoping to get to Italy. It proposes alternatives, as part of efforts to promote legal migration from Egypt. “The number of unaccompanied minors who migrate is of great concern. According to the Italian Government, minors aged between 15 and 18 years accounted for 41 per cent of the 2,281 immigrants who reached Italy in 2010,” said Lamia Mohssen, Secretary-General of the governmental National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. Many of these unaccompanied minors migrate from specific rural communities. According to the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, 6,000 of the 40,000 inhabitants (approximately one-third of the town's male population) from the village of Tatoun in Fayoum Governorate are believed to be in Italy. As a result, the Egyptian and Italian governments signed a landmark agreement in 2009 to strengthen co-operation in the illegal migration of unaccompanied minors, launching information and advocacy campaigns and enhancing youth employability through better academic and vocational education. As an early intervention, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has renovated Qaroun School in Fayoum and upgraded its curriculum to include courses in tourism and hotel management. “We hope to continue this partnership with Italy, not just in Fayoum but the other governorates which export illegal immigration,” Lamia added. Meanwhile, the turmoil and uncertainty in Egypt following the recent revolt have not had a significant impact on the decision of Egyptian youth to migrate, according to a nationally representative survey of 750 young Egyptian men who want to migrate, conducted by the International Organisation for Migration in Egypt. It also revealed that only 15 per cent of respondents agreed that the current situation makes them want to migrate, while 41 per cent confirmed that the current events only influenced their decision in a minor way and 44 per cent of respondents confirmed that they had already decided to migrate before January 25, 2011. Arab countries remain the preferred destination for Egyptian youth, especially Saudi Arabia (26 per cent), the UAE (23 per cent) and Kuwait (11 per cent), followed by the United States (12 per cent) and Italy (5 per cent). “The Road to Atalia is based on the true stories of Egyptian families. Unfortunately, this problem does not get adequately tackled in the media, despite its danger to the individual and society,” said actor Waked, promising more dramatic works about this issue. “I hope that the day will come when people will want to emigrate to Egypt, not from it,” he added hopefully.
