RABAT: IOM Morocco is to launch an awareness campaign on the risks of irregular migration in Morocco's northern Tangier and Tétouan region. The project will be funded by the IOM Development Fund. The target region is prone to poverty and underdevelopment, often leading to problems of domestic and sexual violence and substance abuse, which in turn can lead to marginalization and increased migratory pressures, particularly for young people, according to IOM Morocco Chief of Mission Anke Strauss. “Despite the economic crisis in Europe, with Spain only 14 kilometers away across the Strait of Gibraltar, irregular migration can seem like an easy way out for many unemployed youngsters in northern Morocco," she observes. Young people under-25 account for a third of Morocco's total population and youth unemployment and marginalization pose major challenges for the Moroccan authorities. The campaign, which will complement an existing USAID-funded IOM project: Rehabilitation and Reintegration of At-Risk Youth into Society, will sensitize youth to the risks of irregular migration, raise community awareness, and seek to improve community life through the strengthening of local associations and institutions providing services to the community. Implemented in close cooperation with the Moroccan Ministries of Social Development, Youth and Sports, and Education, and local associations, the campaign will initially focus on identifying the right messages and media to reach its target audience of northern Moroccan young people aged 12-25.
