Refugee's Sahara Crossing: A Harrowing Tale of Survival and Hope

A Refugee's Sahara Odyssey: Fara's Escape and the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence Fara, a young woman from Nigeria, embarked on a perilous two-week journey across the Sahara Desert to escape the abuse she suffered at the hands of her sister’s husband. Her harrowing experience, which included witnessing death and extreme hardship, highlights the dangers faced by many refugees seeking a better life. The journey took her through Libya to Italy, and finally, to Malta. "Someone fainted on the front of my body. We managed to get the driver to stop the van by screaming that someone was dying," Fara recounted, describing her ordeal in an overcrowded van known as an 'ilios.' The driver eventually stopped in the desert, and Fara and other passengers performed CPR on the woman who had fainted. "We told her ‘We started the journey together, we must finish it together too.’" Miraculously, the woman survived, and the group stayed in the desert for two days to allow her to recover. Fara’s story, shared with Lovin Malta, is part of a larger campaign by the NGO TAMA to raise awareness about gender-based violence against refugees in Malta. The campaign will culminate in a May 24th event featuring panel discussions and workshops. Fara’s resilience and the compassion shown by her fellow travelers offer a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness of her experience. Her story underscores the urgent need to address the systemic issues that force people to flee their homes and the violence they often face along the way.