Harraga

The external borders of the European Union are becoming increasingly difficult to cross each year. Migrants deprived of legal entry into the EU still attempt to do so illegally. Neither the introduction of visa restrictions nor the closure of borders has reduced the phenomenon of illegal border cro...

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Main Author: Oksana Voytyuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ksiegarnia Akademicka Publishing 2024-12-01
Series:Politeja
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.journals.akademicka.pl/politeja/article/view/6246
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author Oksana Voytyuk
author_facet Oksana Voytyuk
author_sort Oksana Voytyuk
collection DOAJ
description The external borders of the European Union are becoming increasingly difficult to cross each year. Migrants deprived of legal entry into the EU still attempt to do so illegally. Neither the introduction of visa restrictions nor the closure of borders has reduced the phenomenon of illegal border crossings. The aim of this article is to investigate and describe the harraga phenomenon, which consists of the illegal crossing of the southern sea borders of the European Union by citizens of the Maghreb countries. The author will endeavour to explain the causes and motivations of migrants, with a primary focus on Algerians. In Algeria, the harraga phenomenon differs from other types of migration, and there are political and social reasons behind this phenomenon. Algerian harraga follows its own logic of circumventing restrictions and crossing borders illegally. Risking their lives to leave the country, Algerians view this as their last hope of reaching the ‘European El Dorado’. Obtaining a visa in Algeria today has become a far more challenging undertaking than the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. For young people, often coming from large working-class families, ‘burning the borders’ is the only way to reach Europe and pursue a different life, often precarious but more stable. Algerians travel to Spain, Italy and Malta, crossing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, but their primary destination remains France – where economic and social conditions significantly motivate individuals to undertake the dangerous journey to Europe. The research methods used in the article include a literature review, data analysis, synthesis, comparison and case study.
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spelling doaj-art-bf92c845767e40e5853cf705df6fb4612025-08-20T03:12:39ZengKsiegarnia Akademicka PublishingPoliteja1733-67162391-67372024-12-01215(92)10.12797/Politeja.21.2024.92.03HarragaOksana Voytyuk0University of Białystok, Poland The external borders of the European Union are becoming increasingly difficult to cross each year. Migrants deprived of legal entry into the EU still attempt to do so illegally. Neither the introduction of visa restrictions nor the closure of borders has reduced the phenomenon of illegal border crossings. The aim of this article is to investigate and describe the harraga phenomenon, which consists of the illegal crossing of the southern sea borders of the European Union by citizens of the Maghreb countries. The author will endeavour to explain the causes and motivations of migrants, with a primary focus on Algerians. In Algeria, the harraga phenomenon differs from other types of migration, and there are political and social reasons behind this phenomenon. Algerian harraga follows its own logic of circumventing restrictions and crossing borders illegally. Risking their lives to leave the country, Algerians view this as their last hope of reaching the ‘European El Dorado’. Obtaining a visa in Algeria today has become a far more challenging undertaking than the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. For young people, often coming from large working-class families, ‘burning the borders’ is the only way to reach Europe and pursue a different life, often precarious but more stable. Algerians travel to Spain, Italy and Malta, crossing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, but their primary destination remains France – where economic and social conditions significantly motivate individuals to undertake the dangerous journey to Europe. The research methods used in the article include a literature review, data analysis, synthesis, comparison and case study. https://www.journals.akademicka.pl/politeja/article/view/6246harragaillegal migrationFranceAlgeriaSpainmigration policy
spellingShingle Oksana Voytyuk
Harraga
Politeja
harraga
illegal migration
France
Algeria
Spain
migration policy
title Harraga
title_full Harraga
title_fullStr Harraga
title_full_unstemmed Harraga
title_short Harraga
title_sort harraga
topic harraga
illegal migration
France
Algeria
Spain
migration policy
url https://www.journals.akademicka.pl/politeja/article/view/6246
work_keys_str_mv AT oksanavoytyuk harraga