Earning a living on border of Morocco’s Spanish enclave
For Moroccan porters, smuggling goods through the border of Melilla exacts heavy toll and brings a meagre income.
A man at the border pushes back some women trying to cross with packages on their backs. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
Melilla, Spain – At 6:30am, the sun has not made its appearance yet and the border of Melilla’s Chinatown quarter is illuminated by the orange glow of street lamps.
The border crossing is a maze of wires and winches that convey a sense of unease and fear.
The six metre-high border fence across the road, contributes to the feeling of a hostile environment that surrounds Melilla, the tiny Spanish enclave in the northeast of Morocco. Ahead, on the Moroccan side, the murmur of distant shouts and blows can be heard.
A man with a whip strikes at the load carriers. It is believed that local authorities hire Moroccan enforcers to keep order. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
At 6:45am the sound increases and moving silhouettes of nervous police officers can be seen on the metal structures. A large crowd gathers at the gates waiting to pass to the Spanish side.
see also: STREET CHILDREN IN MELILLA:
Moroccan guards shout and beat the people back from the entrance with wooden sticks. With every passing minute the blows and screams combine in a crescendo, like a symphony of noises and yowls.
On the Spanish side, a 100 metres from the border, dozens of lorries jostle for a good parking spot. They spit out mountains of bundles, some weighing up to 80 kilos.
Crossing the border is often dangerous and some women have been crushed to death. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
At 7am, the border gates open. Once past the border, dozens of Moroccan women and men run to the piles of packages. Their goal is to take one and pass it to Morocco as soon as possible to return and catch another and, if possible, yet another.
see also: THE MILITARISATION OF THE EUROPEAN BORDERS: THE DAILY TERROR IN MOROCCO
Organisations on either side of the fence run what has become to be known as “atypical trade” an illicit smuggling business that at an average of $5.6 per bundle, brings very little income to the load-carriers themselves.
A 6m-high, triple-layered barbed-wire fences surrounds Melilla, a ‘European fortress’. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
Moroccan men and women cross the border at Melilla. Moroccan citizens from the Beni Enzar and Nador have a special visa allowing them to enter Melilla freely during the day. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
Carriers are paid a little over $5 per package they deliver across the border. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
As long as the porters can physically carry their load, it is classified as personal luggage, and can enter Morocco duty-free. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
With packages weighing up to 80kg, the porters try to repeat the journey at least three times a day . [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
An increasing number of unemployed Moroccan men have started carrying bales, forcing some of the local women out of work. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
The work is dangerous and several women have been killed in stampedes to get through the border before it closes. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
Because the work is illicit, the carriers receive no benefits and they are not protected by any health regulations, although the activity is estimated to bring in millions in profits [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
A Moroccan woman watches a man shouting and pushing into the queue at the Melilla border. Many of the porters are women hoping to make enough money to feed their children and pay for school fees.[Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
A woman is prevented from crossing the border to Morocco. Unemployment and the arrival of young men has made it harder for women to work as porters. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
A young man at the border shouts and shoves over a woman with packages on her back. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
A group of young men wait to cross the border separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Melilla. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
One Moroccan man tries to pass under the gate at the border crossing. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
Moroccan men with large packages cross the border at Melilla. [Jose Colon/MeMo/Al Jazeera]
from Jose Colon at AJE with thanks
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