Gli italiani di Malta Partono dall’Italia dove il mercato del lavoro è in crisi e tentano la fortuna a Malta, un isola con poche opportunità e con tanti problemi d’immigrazione. Harmel, vent’anni, del Bukina Faso, come tanti altri ragazzi africani è arrivato via mare per trovare lavoro. Indosso ha una maglietta della nazionale italiana di calcio e sulle spalle un piccolo zainetto, i suoi averi. E’ arrivato ieri sera, ha passato la notte fuori ed è ancora frastornato. Non è arrivato su di un barcone scassato dalle coste del nord Africa. Harmel è arrivato con l’aliscafo. L’aliscafo che tutte le sere salpa da Pozzallo, estremo sud siciliano, per approdare a La Valletta un’ora e mezzo più tardi. Siamo a Malta su di una rotonda vicino al viale, in maltese Triq, Aldo Moro a Marsa, centro urbano che si affaccia su Grand Harbor, il fiordo naturale porto della capitale del piccolo stato....

More than a 100.000 migrants are expected on the Italian coast before the end of the year. Crisis and wars in Africa and Middle East force thousands to leave their lands and face a dangerous journey thru deserts and borders and transit on a boat to reach Europe. Operation 'mare nostrum' with te participation of Italian Navy tries to search and rescue the migrant's boats and to bring them safety in the Sicilian harbors. This is just another step for the traveling migrants.

The Slataper street slum

About 1500 migrants are stuck in the Calais industrial area, every day they try to hide in the trucks heading in UK where they are looking for a better life. The situation is quite tense, they don't have any real shelter and they live in a tend camp called the 'Jungle' near the Calais harbor. Fews associations are trying to help giving them tends and cloth, but a cold winter is arriving and the conditions are getting worst. France government deployed the CRS (special police forces) and migrants reports frequent clashes when they try to get on the trucks.

20 January 2016, France. Migrants heading to UK are blocked in Calais and Dunkerque. In Calais, just next to the highway, migrants are trying to hide in the trucks that will cross the channel by ferry or to enter the Tunnel. They live in a camp where thousand find shelter. In Grand Synthe, a small village next to Dunkerque, about two thousands migrants lives in a wood not far from the city center, the camp is partially flooded and many migrants are forced to live in the mud with families and kids. FEDERICO SCOPPA/CAPTA

Stranded in Idomeni Idomeni is a small village at the Greek Macedonian border. Population about 150, until few months ago. Now few hundred meters from the village center, on a rail road track just on the border fence a migrant camp took the population way over 12.150. Since the first days of 2016 about 123.000 migrants landed in Greece, and 12.000 are waiting to cross the border in this small village, trying to reach Germany and other European countries through the Balkans. But Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonian recently closed their borders to new migrants. European Union is expect to find an agreement with Turkey this week opening the possibility to new routes to Bulgaria or Albania.

Thousand are stranded in Serbia after the reinforcement of the Hungarian border and after the new disposition of the Hungarian first minister Viktor Orbàn to detain all the asylum seekers in Hungary. Thousands migrants are now in Belgrade, but many are still in the north of the country near the town of Subotica to try cross the border with the help of smugglers. Here fearing the Serbian police they hide in the wood, ‘jungle’ as they say as in Calais. Adults and unaccompanied minors are reporting , beating, dog bits, humiliation… by the Hungarian border police and when they were crossing Bulgaria.

Dozens of migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan and other nationalities are living under a bridge in the town of Ventimiglia few kilometers from the Italian French border. Migrants and refugees tries to cross the border risking their life on rail road tracks, in highway tunnels and on dangerous paths in the mountain called the Death Pass. Often they are stop by border police, held in custody and sent back on Italian territory. Some of them have been forcefully relocated in southern Italy

Dozens of migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan and other nationalities are living under a bridge in the town of Ventimiglia few kilometers from the Italian French border. Migrants and refugees tries to cross the border risking their life on rail road tracks, in highway tunnels and on dangerous paths in the mountain called the Death Pass. Often they are stop by border police, held in custody and sent back on Italian territory. Some of them have been forcefully relocated in southern Italy

About 8500 refugees and migrants are living on the Greek island of Lesbos. 3000 are located in facilities an the other are living in harsh conditions in the olive trees plantations next to the camps. More and more boats are arriving form Turkey, many are intercepted by patrollers and just few lands on the coast of Lesvos.

STRANDED IN SERBIA Belgrade, Serbia - Hundreds of refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, are living in miserable conditions in makeshift camps and abandoned warehouses in Serbia. At a warehouse behind the Belgrade train station, the conditions are deplorable. Refugees seeking shelter here brave winter temperatures that can drop to minus 15C, surrounded by mud, snow and ice, and a relentless cold wind blowing through its tunnels and broken windows. The air inside the warehouse is saturated with the smoke from the fires they use to stay warm. People sleep on the ground, wrapped in blankets distributed by volunteers, while surrounded by rubbish and other waste. The sound of coughing echoes through the space. They have no access to showers, lavatories or other facilities. They wash and bathe using water warmed up in old barrels set up on fire pits outside. A group of volunteers works each day to provide one warm meal for those stranded here. The refugees say that they don't want to stay in Serbia, They want to reach Germany, France, Italy or Britain, but they are staying at the warehouse because they fear they will be deported if they go to the official government camps. But, they cannot move on. Serbia's borders with Croatia and Hungary remain closed. Many of them moved to the North, near the town of Subotica, police cleared their camps and, the ones that where not relocated in government camp are forced to hide in the wood, waiting for smugglers that for the price of about 1500 Euros will try to let them cross the border to enter Europe.

‘The dogs camp is only a kilometer away’ says a young Pakistane man, almost trying to emphasize the difference between the kennel and the makeshift camp where he and about fifty of his countrymen are living on the outskirts of the town, while he talks cubs walks in the mud searching for some food in the cans leftover by migrants. Velika Kladuša is a small village placed on the border between Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia, one of the last layover of the so called Balkan route, the long path used by migrants to try to reach Europe, one of the fews doors to enter the continent.
 Coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and many north African countries, after a long trip through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans countries, they all end up in the north west area of Bosnia, but now it’s just cul de sac. 

Controls by Croatian Police are very strict and when migrants are caught crossing the border are sent back to Bosnia, often after been beaten and after having their cellular phone smashed as reported by monitoring organizations and by many who tried and are still trying ‘the Game’, how migrants call their attempts to cross.

A series of images shot with an infrared modified camera on the 9th of January 2019 when the NGO rescue vessel found and rescued in international waters off the Libyan coast a rubber boat in distress with about 60 persons onboard, including women and children.

Moria refugee camp. About 20000 persons, mostly from Afghanistan and many from Syria, Iran Palestine, Democratic Republic of Congo and other states are living in deplorable conditions in a camp intended for 3000 persons. Most of them without water, electricity and sanitary. The situation in the camp and with Lesbos inhabitants is very tense and already developed in clashes and riots. moria, Lesvos February 2020

In 2021 about 20000 people arrived on the Canary Islands, 4500 in Lanzarote only and about 850 lost their life making the 'Atlantic route' one most dangerous migrants destinations in the world. November 24, 2021. Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

Hundreds migrants are still arriving in Lampedusa. About 40 percent of the people arriving in Italy is rescued by the Italian authorities. On the island the transition center is often overcrowded and the Italian government forced to rent the local passenger ferry boat to take migrants to Sicily. Despite the dispute between France and Italy, only 13 percent of migrants are saved by the ONG's boats. Federico Scoppa Lampedusa, November 2022.

Hundreds are arriving every week from the Balkan route, crossing the mountains in the forest they arrive in Trieste where a dozen volunteers provides them food and cloths for winter. Another step of their journey to a better life. Trieste and Lampedusa are the main entrance point for migrants in Italy. Federico Scoppa, December 2022

Despite the announce of French authorities of a reinforcement of borders controls, dozens are crossing the border on the Alps in north west Italy. After the massive arrivals in Lampedusa hundreds of people are now in Oulx, a small city before the Alps in north west Italy where they can find the only shelter held by local volunteers in the area. Every day they cross and just few are caught by the police and rejected in Italy. Many of them are minors, but were registered as adults in Lampedusa, the Italian authorities did not give them protection nor the French will if stopped by the police. Mostly form Sub Saharan countries, Cote D’Ivoire, Sudan, Guinea… they all crossed the Mediterranean sea three weeks ago and now they are moving to France. Weather condition are still acceptable even if temperatures can get close to zero Celsius at night on the highest paths, more than 2000m on the sea level.

The island of Gavdos, south of Crete, Greece. In the middle of the Libyan sea the small island counting only 70 inhabitants is just 180 kilometers away from Tobruk in Libya. From the beginning of 2024 more than 1100 migrants arrived on the island (UNHCR). This is the southern most land in Europe July 2024 Gavdos Greece. Federico Scoppa