‘Migration got me six years behind bars’

An Ethiopian simply identified as Biruk has spoken out on the dangers of irregular migration by telling the story of how he left his home country for a better life in South Africa, only to spend six years in a Zambian prison.

According to him, his journey began due to a rumour in his village that there was a man who could make anyone rich within a short time.

Thus, his parents raised money from relatives and paid $3000 for their son, who had just completed the third grade, to the smuggler who said “he said he’d process the visa and take me to South Africa.”

Biruk was flown to Nairobi. But soon after, the journey took a turn as the trek through Tanzania and Zambia was undertaken mainly at night through the bush, sometimes in packed pick-up trucks and nearly air-less containers. Hunger, thirst and fear were constant companions.  

Arrest followed in Zambia, with Biruk being part of a group of fellow Ethiopians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. He was released after six years, thanks to intervention by the International Organization for Migration.

He returned home to find that his parents had died and his siblings had sold or divided their properties, leaving him destitute and living off the kindness of friends and strangers. 

Soon after returning, IOM enrolled him in its reintegration programme. As a result, he now employs four people in his two barbershops. 

Biruk shared his poignant story recently at the third edition of Migration Conversation, a platform arising from a partnership between the International Organization for Migration and a private Kenyan university, the United States International University Africa. 

Since 2017, IOM has adopted a holistic reintegration approach for migrants that also involves communities. Migrants learn to talk about their experiences in ways that help them overcome the shame of failure, or worse, as many find it difficult to face those they feel they may have disappointed – friends, family – or borrowed money from.

Its reintegration assistance for returning migrants includes medical help for those who need it, psychosocial support, links to employment opportunities, and training in entrepreneurship. Another service offered is family tracing and reunification for unaccompanied minors.