Migratory Pathway Simulator

Welcome to the Migratory Pathway Simulator by In-Sight Collaborative. Before starting, a few things first. [[Continue->Migration]]

Migration is one of the most natural things we can do as living beings on this big, great planet. Human beings and our ancestors have always migrated. So why is it that one of the most natural things we can do has become so politicized? This simulation explores border imperialism through an interactive storyboard that was created to promote empathy and in-depth understanding of the decisions displaced people have to make on their journey to safety. Please note that this simulation is an educational tool created alongside experts in the field and forced migrants themselves. It is not a guide to irregular migration. We would like to recognize, honor, and grieve the hardship and suffering people experience along this pathway. We acknowledge the immense harm borders and migration policies have on humanity and we hope this tool is one small step towards empathy, understanding, and abolition of exclusion and othering. Before we get started, let’s cover some basic vocabulary and terminology. [[Continue->What is the migratory pathway?]]

The migratory pathway is a term we use to describe the migration routes that emerge in response to lack of safe passages for people fleeing conflict, persecution, natural disaster, poverty, and other forms of structural violence. Countless migratory pathways exist globally. Trigger warning: This simulation contains themes and topics some may find distressing. Parental guidance is recommended for anyone under 16. [[Continue->Forced Migrant]]

A forced migrant is simply someone who is forced to migrate. We use this term because it is the broadest and simplest term to describe someone who is on the move. Terms like “asylum seeker” and “refugee” have strict legal definitions and are determined by governing bodies. Refugee status and asylum are not available in every context, but it does not change the fact that the individual has been forced to migrate. We use this term because it is inclusive and accurate. [[Continue->Irregular vs. Illegal]]

Legality is a social construct that is designed to uphold power dynamics and disadvantage people from certain regions and nationalities. Implying that one can cross artificial borders “illegally” places the blame on the individual rather than the violent systems and structures that forced them to migrate. In this simulation, we will never refer to any form of forced migration as “illegal”. “Irregular migration” will refer to migration that occurs outside of customs and border control. No human being or their journey to safety is illegal. Irregular migration only exists because those in power decide it does. [[Continue->Smuggling vs. Trafficking]]

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, smuggling and trafficking are not the same thing. Smuggling is defined as illegal movement into or out of a country. People who are being smuggled are on the move consensually. Trafficking occurs when someone is exploited for the profit of another individual or entity through force, fraud, or coercion. Trafficking is not a consensual process. Although the two are different, they can occur in the same spaces. Someone may start out on the migratory pathway being smuggled and along the way end up in a trafficking situation. Someone may even use smuggling as a way to escape a trafficking situation. [[Continue->Migration is a Response, Not an Issue]]

While politicians, the media, and others who benefit from border imperialism, capitalism, and white supremacy often frame forced migration as a problem, forced migration is forced. It is always a symptom of the problem. Smugglers and those being smuggled are responding to a need. Border imperialism and racial inequities in freedom of movement mean that people are given no other choice but to undertake irregular journeys. How does this make you feel about forced migration? Have you reconsidered any previous opinions you used to have about forced migrants? [[Begin the Simulator->Exiting Turkey]]

Welcome to Turkey. As a young, unaccompanied male, you face a very difficult journey ahead. Young men, particularly those of color, are notoriously demonized and stigmatized by the media, by host communities, and even by humanitarian workers and organizations. This story is designed to help you understand the various considerations you must make as a male migrant. Because you arrived “irregularly” (without a passport and visa through customs and immigration), you are at high risk for detention, deportation, or illegal removal in the form of refoulement or illegal pushback. You want to move forward to Europe. The conditions in Turkey are dangerous for forced migrants. There are very few social services or jobs available, making you vulnerable to exploitation or street violence. While many EU member states consider Turkey to be a safe third country for forced migrants, the lack of a functioning asylum system, the increasing hostilities towards migrants, and the economic disaster Turkey is facing make the conditions unlivable and dangerous. You have no choice but to move forward. Below, you can select your options to move forward with the information provided. [[By Land to Northern Greece]] [[By Sea to the North Aegean Islands]] [[By Sea to Italy]] [[By Land to Bulgaria]]

When you leave Turkey by land to cross to Greece, you must first cross the Evros River. This route has become incredibly dangerous as the Greek authorities and the EU border enforcement agency Frontex use increasingly violent tactics to deter people from crossing into Greece. Crossing the river runs the risk of drowning or dying from police violence. You must choose how you wish to try to cross. You can try to cross yourself, which will save you precious money and means you can keep trying if you are unsuccessful in crossing, or you can pay for a smuggler. Smugglers might provide a guarantee that you will get to your destination, or they might not. There is always an element of risk. You may proceed by trying yourself, or by choosing Smuggler 1, an inexperienced but inexpensive smuggler, or Smuggler 2, who is very pricey but guarantees you will make it safely. [[Try Yourself]] [[Smuggler 1->Pushed Back]] [[Smuggler 2->Cross by Land Into Greece]]

To travel to the Greek Island of Lesvos from Izmir, you need to choose a smuggler. Remember that your funds are limited and you might need the money moving forward. This journey is incredibly dangerous, with over 25,000 missing in the Mediterranean sea since 2014 according to the Missing Migrants Project. This particular route, known as the Eastern Mediterranean route, was a popular pathway in 2015 when hundreds of thousands of people crossed, mostly fleeing the civil war in Syria. This route continues to be popular but very dangerous. In order to leave for the islands, you need to pick a smuggler. Choose carefully, as this is an incredibly dangerous route. “Nearly 1,700 deaths and disappearances have been recorded on the Eastern Mediterranean since 2014, with nearly half of these (803) recorded in 2015 alone.” - Missing Migrants Project [[Smuggler 1->Drown At Sea]] [[Smuggler 2->Arrive Safely in Lesvos]] [[Smuggler 3->Pushed Back]]

Crossing to Italy by sea is expensive and extremely dangerous. Your boat could get shipwrecked or you might suffocate in the hull on your multi-day journey. In order to travel as safely as possible, you must choose a smuggler that will help facilitate your crossing. Your friends have a smuggler they recommend, but his rates are very high. You have met a new smuggler who promises to get you to Italy at a lower rate. [[Reputable Smuggler->Arrive Safely in Italy]] [[New Smuggler->Decisions at Sea]]

To exit Turkey and enter Bulgaria, you have two methods of transportation. You can choose to try on foot, crossing the land border on foot or by vehicle. [[On Foot]] [[By Vechicle]]

You decide to try to cross at Evros on your own with a group of friends. You heard that the borders will open and a large group of people are making their way to the crossing in hopes of being let in. Tragically, this was a political ploy by the Turkish government to put pressure on the EU member states to change their policies around migration and their stance on the status of Syrians. Greece’s response is to shoot at the people trying to cross the border irregularly, and you are tragically killed. This was the case of Muhammad Al-Arab, a Syrian national who had traveled to the border in February 2021 in hopes of exiting Turkey and seeking safety in Europe. In response to the large number of people gathering on the other side of the border, Greek authorities opened fire, murdering Muhammad on Turkish soil. The Greek government still denies the killings despite overwhelming evidence supporting their use of excessive violence and lethal force at their borders. Tragedies like this are one of the many reasons why we have created this teaching tool. More information about Muhammad’s story and the legal case against the Greek authorities are in the additional resource section. [[Continue->Death on the Migratory Pathway]]

Pushed Back This was either because you were caught by authorities, or because you had bad luck and were pulled from a camp or detention center and pushed back. At sea, large groups of people are put into small life rafts and some have reported these rafts being dangerously tampered with before they are pushed out to sea and left to drift into Turkish waters. On land, people are rounded up and taken to detention centers where they are held until night. Many have reported physical violence, torture, and sexual assault in these centers, and many of these locations are not disclosed. After dark, authorities take groups of people to the river border where they are pushed back in small rubber boats or forced to swim back. Sometimes the swift current pulls people downstream to their deaths. More information about pushbacks can be found in the additional resources. You may now exit the simulation, or start over to explore other pathways and outcomes. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

The smuggler successfully guided you to the other side of the river and you are now in Greece. Once you cross to the other side, you must choose between walking through the forest, or walking along the train tracks to try to safely reach your next location quickly and safely without being stopped by police, or by the private border and coast guard agency Frontex, and violently sent back to Turkey in an illegal process called “pushbacks”. [[Walk Along the Train Tracks]] [[Walk in the Woods]]

Death on the Migratory Pathway What happens if you are killed on the migratory pathway? If you are traveling with friends or family who can identify your body, most people are laid to rest in the country they die in. Sometimes family members of identified remains request that they be sent back to their country of origin, which is called repatriation. Oftentimes, people’s bodies are never found or never claimed. In-Sight Collaborative team members have volunteered extensively along the migration pathway between Turkey and mainland Europe, helping with medical consultations, testimony collection, and collaboration between families and local authorities to try to locate missing relatives or repatriate bodies back to their homelands. This simulation was designed to be an educational tool that raises awareness of the realities of migration and to cultivate deeper empathy for the horrific treatment forced migrants experience in their search for safety. From here, we encourage you to continue to explore other pathway options. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

While walking along the train tracks, you were spotted by Greek authorities and became the victim of an illegal pushback. They rounded up you and your friends, beat you, stole your phone and money, and pushed you back across the Evros River without granting you the opportunity to seek asylum. You now return to Istanbul to work, save money, and try again. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

You decide to walk through the woods but you need a new smuggler to help move you from a small village by Alexandropoli to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece. In Thessaloniki, there are UNHCR registration offices, legal organizations, and other resources for asylum seekers. You now have to decide if you will try to make it on foot through the woods, which could take days and extends the amount of time you are vulnerable to being detained by authorities, or hire a taxi which would only take a few hours but runs the risk of encountering police checkpoints on the road. [[Keep Walking in the Woods]] [[Hire a Taxi Driver/Smuggler]]

Reach Thessaloniki You have arrived in Thessaloniki, a city in Northern Greece. From here, you can either register or re-register as an asylum seeker, or you can move up the Balkans via smuggler. The asylum system in Greece is very overloaded and inefficient. There is also a lack of resources available to people who receive positive asylum decisions and it can be difficult or impossible to find safe housing, food, medical care, and work opportunities. If your asylum decision is negative, you may be deported back to Turkey or even all the way to your country of origin. If you move up the Balkans and to a country like France or Germany, your chances of asylum might be higher, depending on your age, nationality, and reason for fleeing your country of origin. The Balkan route is notoriously dangerous. Police and border enforcement use brutal violence to deter people from crossing, and very few resources are available along this route. Consider what might have forced you to leave your country of origin. Are you able to take the risk of being deported? Do you have family members or friends who are located further up the migratory pathway? [[Apply For Asylum in Greece->Choose your Nationality]] [[Take the Balkan Route]]

Get Detained Your smuggler failed to protect you in the taxi and you have been arrested and taken to migrant detention. The conditions are deplorable. People are subjected to violence, solitary confinement, and unsanitary conditions. You are lonely, isolated, and unable to communicate with your family outside. Someone inside the detention center said they can help you find a lawyer, but it will cost all of the money you have, plus a loan from your family back home who are struggling to afford food. If you wait, you do not need to borrow money, but would remain in detention for an unknown amount of time and may even be deported back to your country of origin. If you are freed, you will be able to move forward sooner. Which do you choose? [[Wait]] [[Get a Lawyer]]

You decide to wait, but the conditions in detention are terrible. There are bedbugs and lice, you do not have hot running water, you live in a crowded cell with dozens of other people. The police can be very racist and abusive. You are unable to communicate with the outside world except for the rare occasions when someone manages to smuggle in a black market smartphone and you can contact your family on Facebook. You develop a severe skin infection from scabies and are sick for nearly a month before you are given access to a doctor. People in detention are regularly subjected to physical violence and humiliation; the situation is unbearable. On your 123rd day of migrant detention, you are taken into an office and asked to sign papers. They are in Greek and you can not read them. No translator is available. They could be papers agreeing to your release, or papers agreeing to be sent back to Turkey or deported to your home country. Do you sign them? [[Sign Papers->Deported]] [[No, won't sign papers->Pushed Back]]

Deported You were caught by border authorities, knowingly or unknowingly signed voluntary deportation papers, or determined ineligible for asylum and have been deported to your home country. You may now exit the simulation, or start over to explore other pathways and outcomes. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

You have decided to get a lawyer. The legal system in Greece is very corrupt, so for a fee, the lawyer is able to get you freed. You now must decide if you will launch an asylum case in Greece, or use your small remaining funds to try to move forward. The asylum system in Greece is very overloaded and inefficient. There is also a lack of resources available to people who receive positive asylum decisions and it can be difficult or impossible to find safe housing, food, medical care, and work opportunities. If you move up the Balkans and to a country like France or Germany, your chances of asylum might be higher, depending on your age, nationality, and reason for fleeing your country of origin. The Balkan route is notoriously dangerous. Police and border enforcement use brutal violence to deter people from crossing, and very few resources are available along this route. [[Apply for Asylum in Greece->Choose your Nationality]] [[Take the Balkan Route]]

The asylum law in Greece has changed as of June 7th, 2021. Certain nationalities that were once fast-tracked for asylum because of the conflict in their home country are no longer eligible for asylum in Greece unless they can provide sufficient evidence that they are not safe in Turkey. If unable to, they will be deported either to their home countries or to Turkey. Although this law is contested by legal experts, nationality plays an important role in determining your eligibility for asylum and protection in Greece. Fill out the form with your nationality: [[Afghan->Deported]] [[Somalian->Deported]] [[Palestinian from Gaza]] [[Syrian->Deported]]

The Balkan route is a migratory pathway that passes through five countries and requires you to travel over 1,200km, mostly on foot. Hundreds of people have gone missing along this route since it gained popularity as a humanitarian corridor in 2014 and 2015. After a large influx of refugees arriving in central Europe via the Balkan route in 2015, border fences were constructed and violently enforced. As you travel up the Balkans, you are subjected to repeated border violence, horrible living conditions, and very little humanitarian aid. Many of the countries along the Balkan route are not EU member states and are not favorable places to try and claim asylum. Because of the conditions, you hope to move through the Balkans as quickly and safely as possible. More information about the Balkan Route and pushbacks are available in the additional resources. Choose how you wish to proceed: [[On Foot through the Forest->Die by Stepping on an Unexploded Landmine]] [[Under a Truck]] [[In the Back of a Truck]] [[By Train]]

Drown At Sea Countless souls have been lost to the Mediterranean Sea on migration routes between Turkey and Greece, as well as North Africa and Southern Europe. Pushbacks/driftbacks by authorities increase the dangers forced migrants face when traveling by sea. The very entities designed to rescue them have become a death sentence. In the summer of 2023, a ship carrying hundreds of forced migrants made a distress call to the Greek Coast Guard. Rather than coming to rescue the overcrowded vessel, they towed them towards Italian waters and pushed them forward. This led to the murder of around 600 people. Survivors were detained, isolated from international investigating bodies such as Amnesty International, and faced outrageous criminal charges - painted as perpetrators rather than the victims that they were. In the spring of 2024, they were acquitted of all charges. [[Continue->Death on the Migratory Pathway]]

Arrive Safely in Lesvos You have arrived in Lesvos. The conditions here are dire. In the official and unofficial camps, there are shortages of food, inadequate sanitation and shelter, and a lack of medical care. You can register here and wait months or even years for a decision or for papers to move to the mainland, or choose to arrange to be smuggled off the island to the mainland without documents. [[Apply for Asylum in Greece->Choose your Nationality]] [[Keep Walking in the Woods]]

[[Deported]]

Positive Decision: Three Year International Protection Congratulations! You received a positive decision and qualified for international protection in Greece. The Gaza strip in occupied Palestine is recognized as one of the most dangerous places to live. Under Israeli apartheid, movement of people and resources into and out of Gaza has created a prison-like existence and made Gaza one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The residents of Gaza are regularly subjected to brutal violence by the occupying forces of Israel, and many Palestinians coming from Gaza receive some form of international protection. You may now exit the simulation, or start over to explore other pathways and outcomes. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

You have survived the trip and will be able to continue your journey. However, your last smuggler only ensured your arrival in Italy. You can register for asylum in Italy, but your chances of getting asylum are low. You can also try to move forward on your own, or find a new smuggler. To reach France, you must travel by police checkpoints at buses and train stations up to Northern Italy and then across their border with France. [[Try on Your Own->Pushed Back to North Macedonia]] [[Find a Smuggler->Arrive Safely in France]] [[Register in Italy ->Deported]]

You were pushed back to Slovenia after being picked up by Italian police trying to travel to Northern Italy in the back of a truck. After being pushed back to Slovenia, you continued to be illegally pushed back across borders, facing unspeakable violence and abuse, before finally finding yourself in North Macedonia. [[Take the Balkan Route]]

Congratulations! You have arrived safely in France where you are eligible for asylum. The asylum process can take months to years, and not everyone will receive a positive evaluation of their asylum claim. While you have successfully completed this simulation, take a moment to remember that asylum seekers face a monumental amount of hardship and challenges even when they have received a positive asylum decision and are able to resettle. Racism, language barriers, a loss of important cultural practices, and the psychological fallout from their displacement event and journey to safety can all cause serious problems for people even after they have “made it”. You may now exit the simulation or start over to explore other options. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

The journey to Italy can take days in the best conditions. Smugger’s boats are often overcrowded, not seaworthy, and steered by forced migrants themselves, not experienced captains. This journey is incredibly expensive, with spots on board pushing $10,000, so being caught by Greek authorities or pushed back to Turkey would be a huge loss. Do you choose to go out to sea to avoid the coast guard patrolling near the land, or do you choose to stay closer to shore to avoid the large ocean waves and minimize the risk of a shipwreck? [[Out to Sea->Drown At Sea]] [[Inland->Pushed Back]]

To travel on foot, you must cross the land border. This stretch of land is dotted with forests, swamps, and fields where you can easily be spotted by the police or local residents. You might also get lost and end up going in circles or getting lost in the forest without food and water. A smuggler knows a way to navigate through the terrain, or you can try yourself with Google Maps. [[On Foot - Smuggler->Cross into Bulgaria]] [[On Foot - Try Yourself->Chased by Police]]

You can either stay here and try to apply for asylum, or you can try to move forward through the Balkans. Bulgaria has a strict asylum process, fueled by their current political climate which has a harsh anti-refugee stance, and it is unlikely that your case would be accepted. Hundreds of people have gone missing along this route since it was popular as a humanitarian corridor in 2014 and 2015. As you travel up the Balkans, you are subjected to repeated border violence, horrible living conditions, and very little humanitarian aid. Many of the countries along the Balkan route are not EU member states and are not favorable places to try and claim asylum. Do you move forward or take your chances with the asylum process? [[Apply for Asylum in Bulgaria->Deported]] [[Take the Balkan Route]]

You crossed into the woods successfully, but your Turkish SIM card soon stops working and Google Maps is no longer available. You and your friends are spotted by a patrol of Bulgarian police. They chase you back towards the border and your friend is attacked by a police dog. When you stop to help him, the police shoot at you with rubber coated bullets and you are both separated from the rest of the group and detained. They take you to a detention center and your friend to a hospital. While in detention, you have three choices. You can sign voluntary deportation papers and be returned to Turkey, or you can wait for an unknown amount of time, which may result in your release or deportation. [[Sign Papers->Deported]] [[Simply Wait]]

Sometimes it comes down to pure luck. Pick option one or two to decide your fate. [[Fate 1]] [[Fate 2->Deported]]

You are released Lucky for you, you are released after six months in migrant detention. You can decide between applying for asylum in Bulgaria or trying to move forward up the Balkan Route. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union. Integration is incredibly difficult and jobs are scarce. The Balkan Route is incredibly dangerous. Choose your next move. [[Apply for asylum->Deported]] [[Try the Balkan Route]]

[[Try Smuggler 1->Pushed Back]] [[Try Smuggler 2]]

[[Pushed Back]]

[[Take the Balkan Route]]

You can now choose between two different smugglers and their means of transportation: [[Smuggler with a Truck->Death on the Migratory Pathway]] [[Smuggler with a Car->Pushed Back]]

Die by Stepping on an Unexploded Landmine "The Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre estimates that there are 180,000 unexploded mines left over from the wars of the 1990s. Over 130,000 have been removed, and 617 lives have been lost. A migrant died in a land mine explosion over the border in Croatia earlier this year, illustrating the need for outreach on the dangers of mines. " While walking through the woods in Croatia, you step on a landmine from the 1990 Balkan War and tragically die. In the spring of 2021, a group of young men were traveling through the woods in Croatia trying to avoid the violent police. They stepped on an unexploded mine and four were injured while one lost his life. Migration pathways pose countless risks, many of which forced migrants simply can't anticipate. Remember that migration is a response, not an issue, and these deaths are manufactured and needless. You may exit the simulation or explore different pathways. [[Start Again->Exiting Turkey]]

You choose to travel by truck by climbing under the vehicle and riding on the axle between the wheels. This is an incredibly dangerous way to travel, and people are often caught by police checks or even die by falling while the truck is traveling at high speeds and getting crushed under the wheels. To travel by truck, you have to stow away while the trucks are lined up waiting to cross the border into the next country on your route. Pick one. [[Truck 1->Arrive Safely in France]] [[Truck 2]]

As you travel down the highway en route to Bosnia, the truck swerves to avoid a branch in the middle of the road. This knocks you off of the axle under the wheels of the truck, tragically crushing you to death. [[Continue->Death on the Migratory Pathway]]

To travel by truck is incredibly dangerous. Airtight trucks such as refrigerator trucks make it harder to detect people inside, but suffocation is an inevitable outcome if you are left inside for too long. During the summer months, all trucks can become unbearably hot from sitting out in the sun waiting at weight stations or border crossings and you could die from heatstroke. Oftentimes it comes down to luck. Pick your smuggler. [[Smuggler 1->Suffocation]] [[Smuggler 2->Arrive Safely in France]]

Suffocation You and your group of sixteen people including children were loaded into a refrigerated truck bound for Austria. The smuggler assured you that you’d stop after the border crossing between Bosnia and Croatia to be let out to continue on foot, but the driver failed to make the regularly scheduled stop. Unfortunately, all of the people in the back of the truck ran out of oxygen and died inside. [[Continue->Death on the Migratory Pathway]]

Traveling by jumping on board a cargo train can be a quick and effective way to get further inland from the Balkans. You have just arrived in North Macedonia and are seeking a smuggler to help you move up the pathway. Your friend arrived in Switzerland by train thanks to the work of Smuggler One, but his prices are high and the ride lasted several days with lots of stops and chances you’d be caught by the police. If you do not make it with Smuggler One, you would not have enough money to continue your journey. Smuggler Two is newer but less expensive. You’d have more resources moving forward if you use him. Lastly, you could try to jump on a cargo train by yourself. By looking at the train time tables, you can figure out a route based on where the trains are headed and what time they are due to pass by certain areas. [[Smuggler 1->Arrive Safely in France]] [[Smuggler 2->Pushed Back]] [[Try Yourself->Train Death]]

You try to jump on a moving train from a bridge outside of Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. As you land on the top of the boxcar, you lose your footing and slip, falling between the boxcars of the moving train and are killed. [[Continue->Death on the Migratory Pathway]]