Télécharger la revue - Église Catholique d'Algérie
Télécharger la revue - Église Catholique d'Algérie
Télécharger la revue - Église Catholique d'Algérie
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egArds sur l'Algérie<br />
A life of hardship<br />
The Challenges faced by Sub-Saharan Migrants and Refugees in<br />
People leave their countries of<br />
origin for many reasons. Some<br />
leave due to war, persecution and<br />
violence whilst others leave due to<br />
a very difficult economic situation.<br />
Persons migrating towards Algeria are no different.<br />
Whilst their reasons for arriving to Algeria may differ,<br />
the hardships they suffer along the route to arrive<br />
here and the tough conditions they must face in<br />
the country are often the same. One big difference<br />
is that whilst some can return to their countries of<br />
origin, others cannot due to war, persecution or<br />
a <strong>la</strong>ck of means to return back home. Humiliation<br />
on return and a feeling of having 'failed' is another<br />
reason why people do not return back home<br />
even when things do not turn out well in Algeria.<br />
Most migrants in need of international protection<br />
head to Algiers where they can apply for asylum<br />
with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which decides<br />
who is entitled to international protection and who<br />
is not. Those recognised as refugees are under the<br />
protection of UNHCR and are given documents<br />
and certain important rights and assistance.<br />
Nevertheless, it is still very difficult for them to find<br />
work and earn a livelihood. Importantly, the refugee<br />
document protects people from being forcibly<br />
sent back to their countries of origin or from being<br />
deported to the south of the country.<br />
The problem of access to work is one of the greatest<br />
problems faced by migrants and refugees in Algeria.<br />
No one is given the permission to work, so finding<br />
regu<strong>la</strong>r work is almost impossible. Many end up<br />
Algeria<br />
L’auteur est avocat, spécialisé dans les droits de l'homme et le droit d'asile.<br />
Il travaille pour le Service jésuite des réfugiés (JRS). Une partie du travail du<br />
Bureau européen de JRS est de sensibiliser l'Union européenne sur <strong>la</strong> situation<br />
des réfugiés et des migrants en Afrique du Nord et de l'Ouest. En effet, décisions<br />
et politiques de l'UE ont une influence directe sur <strong>la</strong> vie des migrants en transit<br />
dans ces pays. Il est donc important que les décideurs européens aient ce<strong>la</strong><br />
en tête lorsque des décisions sont prises. Andrew vient de parcourir l’Algérie<br />
pour mieux connaître <strong>la</strong> situation de ces migrants. Il nous partage son regard 1 .<br />
working unofficially and this often means that they<br />
do not earn as much as locals and are not protected<br />
by contracts. At times, employers take advantage of<br />
this and do not pay the migrants for the work they<br />
have done. The migrants cannot go and report this<br />
to the police since they were not working legally and<br />
could end up in trouble due to their general status<br />
in the country. Difficulties in accessing work lead to<br />
other serious problems such as accommodation.<br />
It is very hard to pay for rent without a regu<strong>la</strong>r<br />
job, so many persons end up living in very poor<br />
conditions. Those who find no work often end up<br />
squatting in unfinished buildings such as in the<br />
neighbourhood of Boush Bouk or living in small<br />
and crowded rooms with no privacy. Thankfully,<br />
especially when accompanied by organisations,<br />
1 Une traduction en français de cet article est disponible sur le<br />
site eglise-catholique-algerie.org