Today, Mali has become one of the main transit and departure countries for irregular migrants in West Africa and there are organizations that work on their behalf and help them by providing services adapted to their situations.
Which organizations are most active in protecting migrants in central and northern Mali?
Are you an irregular migrant, in distress or in transit in the region of Gao, Ménaka or Douentza? Do you wish to receive assistance or return to your country of origin?
IOM assists you with documentation, transportation, medical care and socio-economic reintegration. Their services are provided exclusively to migrants who meet their assistance criteria after profiling by one of their agents.
In Douentza, the NGO CIAUD Canada informs you about the risks and dangers linked to irregular migration and directs you to the appropriate support structures.
In Gao, by contacting the Maison du Migrant, you can benefit from support including accommodation and meals for a period of 10 days. It also provides you with health care, legal services and ground transportation to meet your specific needs.
In Gao, the Direy ben center also provides you with reception, listening, information and orientation services.
The services and care offered by these different organizations are free and respect your dignity and well-being in order to guarantee you a safe and orderly migration. If you need further help or advice you can go directly to one of the offices of these three organizations.
What are the dangers of irregular migration that I need to know?
Irregular migration is very dangerous. It is a movement that takes place in unofficial and clandestine conditions in a transit or host country.
In irregular migration, every step of the journey is a danger or a challenge to overcome. The routes of irregular migration are impassable and very dangerous.
By choosing irregular migration one exposes oneself to enormous risks such as: imprisonment, sexual abuse, torture, death, exploitation by smugglers and criminal networks, human trafficking for the purposes of forced labor or begging, sexual exploitation, organ harvesting, and unemployment, etc.
Before taking the path of irregular migration, you should know that not everything is rosy in your host country. For this reason, it is important to make sure that the information you receive about your host country is accurate.
Regular migration is the safest form of migration. Irregular migration is not the right option, let's avoid venturing into it!
What do I need to know about my access to justice, and the legal documentation required for regular migration?
All human beings are equal before the law. Being a migrant does not mean that you are marginalized when it comes to access to justice. Access to justice is a right for all. Your legal identity is important for access to all legal services.
During periods of irregular migration, your access to essential services is restricted, particularly when you are in a foreign country without papers, at a checkpoint or in a detention centre.
To be safe during your migratory period, you must have the necessary documents such as an identity card, an indulgence note, a passport, a vaccination record, a residence permit and a visa from your transit or host country, etc.
In the regions of Mopti, Ménaka and Gao, the IOM, the migrant house, and the NGO CIAUD Canada provide you with a letter of indulgence like a pass to facilitate your passage through checkpoints and sometimes other conveniences.
If you find yourself in arbitrary detention in the Gao region, the Maison du Migrant can provide you with a lawyer to facilitate your release.
Are there any health services available for migrants in central and northern Mali?
Health and access to quality health services are rights for all. Your migrant status should not deprive you of these rights.
Are you a migrant residing or in transit in the regions of Gao, Douentza and Ménaka? You can have quality health care for migrants such as medical consultations, prenatal and postnatal care, vaccination, psychological support from the IOM, CIAUD Canada, the migrant house, the Direy ben center, the reference health centers (CSREF), the community health centers (CSCOM) and hospitals, etc.
The services and care offered by these structures and organizations respect your dignity and confidentiality for your well-being.
Are there opportunities for socio-economic reintegration for migrants returning to Mali?
The socio-economic reintegration of migrants returning to their country of origin is very important. It aims to facilitate their integration into society after a period of migration.
With your migrant status, it guarantees you dignity, helps you organize your new life and set up reintegration projects that contribute to the socio-economic development of your family or country.
If you are a Malian migrant who has returned to Mali through the IOM channel, you can benefit from socio-economic reintegration services such as professional training, capacity-building sessions on simplified management and financing for your income-generating activity initiatives (fattening, market gardening, welding, cutting and sewing, carpentry, masonry, etc.) by providing yourself with kits or materials.
If you would like more details on migration-related services in the regions of Mopti, Gao, Douentza and Menaka, you can write to us on our Facebook page Anoura.info