The passport, a document that I almost had never seen before, came to be vitally important during the travel. Luckily, I had a passport with me to show who I was and that I was under 18 years old in order to have access to different forms of support and to my rights as a child, so I made sure not to lose it. Unfortunately, at one point of the travel I couldn’t find it anymore. I then felt really unprotected and anxious, and I had to face very difficult situations. From my experience, I understood that it is important to have a document to get support but also for my existence to be recognized by others.

 

Be careful not to lose your passport or any other document useful to proof your identity and age. Keep It safe, these document belong to you. No one should ask you for your documents other than child protective authorities or the police. If you don’t have one apply for it as soon as possible.

Even if in my village it made no difference, being recognized as a minor (person under 18 years old) in Europe implies to receive special protection since the rights and rules for children are different from those for adults according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I was not sure if I wanted to declare that I was under 18. But even if sometimes I was treated as a migrant by the police and other authorities, I understood that demonstrating that I was under 18 years old could be convenient for me to be more protected and to have access to the rights I was entitled to.

 

If you are under 18 years old, you are entitled to receive greater protection than adults in Europe.

The travel I had in mind was very different from the real one: the conditions were discouraging. Sometimes I was afraid because I thought that my future was not in my hands and there was no alternative. These situations that escaped from my control where those that I feared most and that made me feel very vulnerable, also because unknown people could take advantage of my situation. In such moments, when I did not have the possibility to control or choose, I tried to keep calm and maintain at least my self-control, even if in some instances it was very difficult. Thinking positive and remembering the advice that my family and friends had given me upon departure was a way to reconnect with my inner strength. I have learnt that it is very important to try concentrating on the parts of my life where I feel I am in control.

 

Keeping confident about yourself and your future is very important, including in situations where you feel that you have little control over what is happening to you.

Once I had embarked on the journey, I realized that I was little informed about the travel and the place I wanted to reach. It would have helped me a lot to know more about that place and about how to reach it. During the travel I asked different people and I tried to Tried to find out where I was. During the journey, I realised that I felt better when I told someone I trusted where I was. This helped me to feel a little safer.

 

Obtain continuous and updated information from reliable sources to always know where you are during your journey and try to notify this to trusted people.

My travel was long and tiring and I had to face a lot of challenges I did not expect.

I found myself in very dangerous situations and I lost my ID document.

Sometimes I was afraid to die and my faith and memories were the only relief.

Fortunately I was able to let my family know that I was ok. I did not tell them everything in order not to worry them. But I missed a lot their presence and their support.

RELIGIONE Resiland TRATTO

  1. Overcoming bad times
  2. Giving the right weight to money
  3. Avoid to break the law
  4. Relating with unknown people