Surprising Europe - Running Out of Luck

Surprising Europe

Running out of luck

This episode titled  “Running out of luck” shows the people’s destinies while struggling for luck. When African migrants come to Europe they face a variety of obstacles and problems. Not only do they find themselves in completely new and unfamiliar atmosphere but they are treated as criminals and kept in detention centres. Some even need to marry Europeans to be able to stay in the EU. They have to go to medical centres run by volunteers, because they do not have enough money. Although they live under great physical and emotional pressure and, often, do not see any hope for the future, people still help each other and fight to stay in Europe hoping for a better future.

In the first part of this chapter three different immigrants from Senegal tell us that living in the EU is not as easy as they thought it would be. In order to legalize their stay in the EU they have to either be married to a European citizen or have a child. In both cases a lot of bureaucracy is involved in the process. Almost at the end of the chapter, Samuel – one of the interviewees – comments that this Europe was not the one he expected and the one he knew from television, filled with possibilities to succeed.

The second part of this episode is focused on displaying immigrant’s difficulties obtaining medical coverage. It is said that medical care is a human right, but if they do not have the necessary documents they cannot get help. In Amsterdam, for instance, there is a clinic run by doctors and nurses who volunteer and anyone can get consultations for a low price. Most  immigrants are in difficult situations because they cannot pay for the treatments they need. Therefore doctors suggest them to go to specialists they know. Even though this is not the best solution, it is at least a place to receive basic medical care.

The last part of the documentary deals with African immigrants that came to the Netherlands and are held prison in the  Zeist Detention Center until their legal status is regulated or they are sent back to their home countries. They are not criminals, but are treated as such. When they need to go to the hospital, they are brought handcuffed. Back at the prison, doctors do not come when they are needed and hygienic conditions are rather poor. The immigrants describe that they are treated like animals and it gets worse when they are put in isolation. They are forced to get naked and beaten up with sticks, held to ground and tied up. Some of the men are married to Dutch women, who are pregnant or have children with the inmates. Still, this would not help them change the difficult situation they are in. One of the inmates said that human rights should apply everywhere and that this is a Europe he never believed would exist.