Jimin News Reporter Hu Li
According to the " Guardian " report on November 2, when a couple of Tunisian was about to take their two children to Europe, the boatman of the immigration boat mistakenly thought that the police car was coming, and hurriedly started the engine and drove away. As a result, the couple's older child failed to board the boat. The 4-year-old daughter Linda took an immigration boat from Tunisia to Italy alone. She is currently unattended by parents and her emotions are impacted.
Data picture (Photo source: Guardian)
Linda was born in a not-wealthy family. Because Tunisia faces political crisis and food shortage, her father's job selling snacks in stalls cannot support the family, so the family decided to leave Tunisia and took Linda's 7-year-old sister with heart disease to European countries for treatment.
On October 16, Linda was going to leave Tunisia with her family, but the immigration boat arrived near Tunisia by sea, so passengers had to walk or swim before they could get on board. Linda's mother was scared when Linda's father carried her toward the boat with her holding her, and she thought that she might have died in the sea before she got on board. So Linda's father had to temporarily put her alone on the boat and turn around to help her mother and sister.
Unexpectedly, a truck on the shore suddenly lit its headlights. The boatman mistakenly thought it was a police car, so he hurriedly started the engine and drove to Italy. The 4-year-old Linda set out alone.
On October 17, Linda sailed from Tunisia to Italy for 26 hours in this immigration boat carrying 70 people. However, Linda's family was banned by the Tunisian authorities and could not take her back abroad. At the same time, Linda's parents were also charged with "abandoning minors."
Tunisian MP Magidi Kalbai said: "Linda doesn't understand what happened and her emotions are hit. She has been asking her parents where they are and when will they see them again. Currently, Linda is in a children's community center in Palermo , the capital of Sicily, Italy."
International NGO Save the Children has provided support for Linda. Save the Children's spokesman Giovanna de Benedetto said: "Linda is playing with other children, a psychosocial support team is tuning her psychology, and we are taking care of her health."
The trouble is that Linda's parents hope that the Italian side can repatriate their daughter so that the family can reunite, but because of Linda's identity as a minor, it is protected by Italian laws and the repatriation procedures are complicated.
On October 28th local time, a Sicilian judge rejected Linda's request for repatriation and asked the relevant departments to explain in detail and prove how Linda arrived in Italy alone before making a new judgment.
Tunisian Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Elderly said in a statement that they are discussing the issue of repatriation of children with the Tunisian Consulate in Palermo and that the Tunisian diplomatic delegation is expected to meet with the Palermo Juvenile Tribunal judge.
Linda's parents refused to accept media interviews.
It is reported that the route Linda took this time is the most unsafe route to Europe and one of the deadliest routes in the world. Since 2014, nearly 20,000 people have died or disappeared in the middle of Mediterranean .
(Source: Jimu News)
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