Minors form an increasing proportion of illegal Egyptian migrants to Italy, reports Reem Leila Illegal migration is high on Europe's political agenda, with Italy the European country most concerned with migratory flows coming from Africa. Accordingly, both Egypt and Italy have launched an information campaign to promote safe migration and positive alternatives for young Egyptians. Under the slogan "Challenge yourself, do not challenge the sea", the campaign was launched on 17 November by Minister of State for Family and Population Mushira Khattab, along with the Governor of Fayoum Galal El-Said, Italy's Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico, Director for Migration at the Italian Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies Maurizio Silveri and the International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) Middle East representative Shahidul Haque. The first phase of the campaign, expected to last for at least five years, aims at raising awareness about the advantages of legal, as opposed to illegal, migration. It will emphasise that the acquisition of professional and language skills can enhance opportunities for young Egyptians at home and abroad. "To migrate to Italy you must at least know how to speak Italian," said Pacifico. A vocational school will be built at Tatoun village in Fayoum, running programmes jointly designed by the Italian and Egyptian governments along with the IOM. The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights estimates that of Tatoun's 40,000 inhabitants more than 6,000 -- almost a third of the village's male population -- are in Italy. The vocational school will be funded initially by the Italian government. "We anticipate further funding from the private sector and NGOs which will allow us to expand activities into other Egyptian governorates," says Khattab. Irregular migration of unaccompanied minors to Italy from Egypt has, says Khattab, reached worrying levels. Of the 2,281 irregular Egyptian migrants who arrived on the Italian coast in 2008 41 per cent were aged between 15-18. "It is difficult to assess the exact reasons behind the prevalence of Egyptians... minors leave the country bound for Italy seeking better employment and economic opportunities," says Khattab. She believes social dynamics at a village level, with young males pressured to migrate to support their families, is partly to blame. In 2008 of the 7,797 unaccompanied minors referred to the Italian Foreign Committee, 15 per cent were Moroccan, 14 per cent Egyptian, 12 per cent Albanian, nine per cent Palestinian and eight per cent from Afghanistan. Egypt, says Pacifico, is the main source country for illegal migrants landing in Lampedusa. "The majority of minors are abused by criminals," says Pacifico. Italy, he adds, is willing to receive 18,000 legal, trained and educated Egyptian migrants in the next few years instead of 2,281 illegal ones. "We have a moral commitment towards illegal minor migrants. We must protect their rights. It is in the interest of minors to stay with them," said Silveri.
