posted on

The Story of a Migrant Who Found Salvation and Love in Montenegro

Irfan* has been living in Montenegro for a full decade now. He is about 30 years old and works as a construction labourer. He says that he is satisfied, because he always has work to do, and the people in Montenegro are kind to him. He hides his identity in front of the camera, because he still fears the authorities in his homeland. He fled Morocco in 2011. “Human rights were not being respected, there were no jobs, the economy was weak. Everything was bad!”, explains the Moroccan migrant who, after months of fleeing, found salvation in Podgorica, in his interview for the EU Info Centre. He first fled to Turkey, where he flew to using a regular flight. He soon had to leave that country and then came into contact with the smugglers for the first time. They transferred him to Greece, and then to Albania, eventually arriving to Montenegro.
“My life was at the hands of smugglers. They could have done anything they wanted with me, I didn’t have any saying, they just had me. I arrived in Montenegro tired of running away. And I didn’t have the strength to continue”, our interlocutor continues his story, his daughter and son sitting on his lap. He found peace, work and a home in Montenegro. And quite soon love as well. When he arrived in Podgorica, he got a job at a hotel, where he met his current wife, Jovana* from Berane. “After some time, I fell in love, got married and now we have two children. Now I am at peace and satisfied here”, says the Moroccan with a smile. He has also learned our language in the meantime.
My life was at the hands of smugglers. They could have done anything they wanted with me, I didn’t have any saying, they just had me. I arrived in Montenegro tired of running away. And I didn’t have the strength to continue
He first heard about the European Union in Greece, where he learned that it is an organization that also helps migrants. He is now familiar with what the European Union is doing in Montenegro to help people who have had to leave their homeland. In the meantime, Irfan* gained the right to apply for Montenegrin citizenship, but due to legal illogicalities and the fact that certain laws are in conflict with each other, he is still unable to exercise that right. In order to solve this problem, he is receiving legal aid from the NGO Legal Centre, which since 2007 have been dealing with the status of displaced and internally displaced persons, prevention of statelessness and providing free legal aid to foreigners seeking asylum in Montenegro. In cooperation with Caritas, Legal Centre implemented the EU project “My Lawyer – Free and Professional Legal Aid for Migrants”, worth 132,665 euros. “The principal idea behind this project is to contribute to the improvement of migration policy in Montenegro by improving the status of migrants in access to rights and services, through the legal aid system; to contribute to the improvement of public policies in two areas, namely the integration of persons who have received international protection and the policy of reintegration of returnees, who have voluntarily returned to Montenegro “, explains Luka Kovačević, director of the NGO Legal Centre.
The principal idea behind this project is to contribute to the improvement of migration policy in Montenegro by improving the status of migrants in access to rights and services, through the legal aid system; to contribute to the improvement of public policies in two areas, namely the integration of persons who have received international protection and the policy of reintegration of returnees, who have voluntarily returned to Montenegro
Through this project, 677 beneficiaries received support, from irregular migrants, persons seeking international protection in Montenegro, asylum seekers, foreigners, to returnees returning based on the readmission agreements. In addition to free legal aid, 350 humanitarian aid packages were distributed to migrants. “We had over 146 field visits. We were in all Montenegrin municipalities, visiting migrants’ formal and informal gathering spots. The migrants we worked with last year came from Morocco, Afghanistan, Iran, Algeria… Although many of them are passing through Montenegro, they are invisible to our citizens, because they do not stay here for long”, says Luka, and Irfan* adds: “They’ve helped me a lot. From the time I started arranging the paperwork until recently, when they gave me humanitarian aid; whenever they had something for us, they would call me and give it free of charge.” The EU has donated 1,700,000 euros to Montenegro for migration management through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance II. During the coronavirus pandemic the European Union provided additional 600,000 euros of assistance for migrants and refugees in Montenegro. In 2007, Montenegro established its system for asylum seekers. Since then, 100 foreigners have received international protection, just like Irfan*, who tells us that he still misses his homeland. “I would like to visit Morocco if the necessary changes happen there. I miss my country, my family and my friends very much. But first, I will wait to get a Montenegrin passport, so that I’ll be safe.”
*names known to the editorial office

PROJECT