Beirut[Lebanon], February 26: "I've lost the will to live," said RaedDandachi, a Lebanese man in his 50s who lost his wife and two of his children on the night of April 23, 2022 during a failed attempt to migrate to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.
Dandachi and his family were attempting to escape Lebanon's economic collapse to seek a better life in Europe, but their dream was shattered when the boat carrying them sank off the coast of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on that tragic night.
"Unfortunately, I lost my wife and two of my children as well as the 5,000 U.S. dollars I had borrowed and collected from selling my furniture to pay for the trip," Dandachi, a blacksmith living in the poor neighborhood of Bab al Tabbaneh in Tripoli, told Xinhua.
Since the beginning of the Lebanese economic crisis in 2019, the Dandachi family's living conditions have deteriorated as he could not secure food for his family sometimes.
"I have been unemployed for the past three months; I cannot even afford to buy bread for my children," Dandachi said, adding that he would pay his arrears now and then if he gets a job.
He confessed that he resorted to illegal immigration as he lost hope for a better future for his children in Lebanon amid the country's persisting economic and political crises.
RaedDandachi's brother, A'amid, who lost his three children aboard the same boat that sunk on April 23, 2022, said that he had no other choice as he lost faith in the country's future.
"My monthly income dropped to 200 U.S. dollars after the crisis; I could not provide my children with enough food, education and healthcare," he told Xinhua.
"I knew we were going to die anyway, so I thought: why not try to escape on a boat?" he added.
Dina Makkouk, a clinical psychologist, told Xinhua that many of those who consider illegal immigration to Europe utter one typical sentence: "We are dead here anyway," which reflects depressive features.
Makkouk noted that the dire economic crisis contributed to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness among many Lebanese and Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.
"Low tolerance to frustration, high risk-taking behaviors, and the desire to escape to better circumstances prompted some people to find a way out," she said.
Over the past three years, Lebanon witnessed rising attempts at illegal immigration by sea to Europe amid the country's financial crisis which has plunged many Lebanese families into poverty.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad al-Makari revealed earlier this year that Lebanon's authorities registered 155 illegal immigration attempts in the third quarter of 2022, involving 4,637 immigrants, leading to the death of at least 214 people and the disappearance of 225 others.
Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, has become a center for protests since October 2019, as its economy was severely impacted by the economic collapse.
Ayman Omar, director of the IshraqCenter for Studies and an economist, told Xinhua that six out of 10 families in Tripoli already suffered from poverty ahead of Lebanon's economic crisis, according to a study released in 2015 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA).
"The economic crisis deepened Tripolitans' suffering and increased its intensity, so it is only natural to witness a rise in illegal immigration from this city," Omar said.
Omar urged Lebanese authorities to activate the city's different public facilities, including the Tripoli port, Tripoli International Fair, Klayaat Airport, the Deir Ammar power plant, and others that can contribute to revitalizing the economy, providing job opportunities, and improving the social situation in the northern city.
To curb illegal immigration, an initiative was recently launched by the Lebanese Center for Justice, an independent institution that works on spreading the concept of justice and raising awareness of the importance of citizens' rights.
Fadi Obeid, a member of the advisory body at the center, told Xinhua that the center's employees and volunteers have visited families in Tripoli to raise awareness about the risks of illegal migration.
He added that the center's doctors offer psychological support for those who have tried to immigrate illegally and developed psychological complications after failed attempts.
Another initiative was recently launched by RolaFadel, head of the non-governmental ACUA Foundation that aims to foster a feeling of belonging for Lebanese by helping them reach their full potential.
Speaking at a seminar on Feb. 13, Fadel said her foundation will soon launch an awareness campaign with the Jusoor media platform to reduce illegal immigration by alerting people about the dangers, through organizing a series of TV programs and seminars.
Fadel added that her foundation will prepare a draft bill to criminalize all people who participate in organizing illegal immigration trips.
In late September 2022, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced proactive administrative, judicial, security, and intelligence measures to curb illegal immigration via the sea. Among the measures are the regular registration of boats at the ports in Lebanon and confiscation of unregistered boats.
Preemptive measures are also being taken by all security agencies, in addition to increased naval patrols, to combat illegal immigration.
Source: Xinhua