Crossing the 'shameful abyss'

By Judith Crosbie - 15.06.2006 / 00:00 CET

One had travelled all the way from Sudan to escape the poverty; another said his family had sold land to pay traffickers to take him across the sea; while a third was the only educated child in his family and so was the obvious choice to make the journey. The stories told to MEPs last week during a visit to the Canary Islands are only some of the harrowing tales from the 9,000 immigrants who have left west Africa since the start of the year.

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