My migration journey

My name is Amie Jobe. I was trafficked to Egypt in 2014 on 25 December, by someone who promised me a standard job with a good monthly salary.

When we arrived at our destination, I was escorted by these two men into a three-bedroom flat. One room was packed with a lot of luggage, and the other was a single room with a mattress lying on the floor where I was asked to enter.

One day, a man came and opened the door. He asked me to follow him, and I did. I met his wife sitting, who said, “you are going to start working.” I was so happy, because I thought that I was going to explore Egypt. The woman asked me to approach her, saying she wanted to teach me how to iron and fold my boss’ clothes. I was shocked and said to her that was not my purpose of coming to Egypt. She laughed. She informed me that I was there to work as a maid and that I had to do domestic work.

I was shocked and I started to cry. I realized that I had been deceived. I was weak, and, at the time, I was not able to do anything. I was escorted to one woman who had three kids: two girls and a boy. I was informed that I had to take care of them all and clean the house.

My working hours were from 6am to 4am or 5am. I was not entitled to enough sleep. I was not provided with good food. I was being treated like a slave. I used to cry a lot, as there was no one to talk to. I worked for that madam for three months without receiving any payment. One day, I decided to confront her for my salary; to my surprise, she directed me to ask the agent who brought me there.

I worked for seven months in Egypt and worked with three different madams. All of them were treating me the same way. I decided to come back home no matter what I would go through. When I returned home, I thought I would get rid of all the pain, but I did not know what was waiting for me. I begin to face worse: I was discriminated and stigmatized.

I joined a network of fellow returnees to contribute my part in combating human trafficking and irregular migration. I have participated in several community engagements that have enabled me to raise awareness about trafficking and also develop my skills in advocacy.

It has also made my dream of becoming an actress possible. I participated in a training on drama and contributed to the production of a drama series. Now, I am signed by Fandema Multimedia to be an actress under their label. I am very excited about this; it will go a long way for me.

This story was written by Amie Jobe, Migrants as Messengers (MaM) Volunteer in The Gambia.