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motion, resume pre-Greek motion, or define a new kind of motion altogether? Those
individuals that leave Greece to pursue their dreams end their direct influence in Athens;
although they do support the systems of passage that see them out, provide a narrative
element for their fellows still in the country (in the sense of “my friend that made it to
Europe..bolstering the African narrative and local escapist narratives), and partake in
the EU-wide migrant reality that ultimately affects broader policies that influence Greek
policy-making (in often unpredictable ways). It should be noted that those individuals
that do travel to Europe do so usually following a route similar to the one they took to
arrive to Greece: through some underground passage. These routes are often dangerous
and very expensive. Women in particular are at risk with hundreds, if not thousands,
ending up in forced prostitution rings (Lazaridis 2001)31. All secret travelers often suffer
from harsh travel conditions, hunger, and sometimes the dangers of abandonment en
route. Smugglers often gather groups of ten to twenty individuals, transport them to
some border region in the north, and then guide them over often on foot to meet
transporters who see them to the next contact point or to their final destination (by boat,
truck, or car). This path is very difficult, but the lure of a fruitful future often proves too
tempting.
Alternatively, however, the undocumented migrant may choose to stay in Greece.
In doing so, they will join thousands of other undocumented migrants who now make a
life in the city pursuing various occupations, some of which are connected to the
31 Current or official figures are not available, and estimations are based on word of mouth and incomplete
police figures. Based on interviews with local Africans and with NGO workers interested in the issue, I am
confident that the number of African women forced into prostitution by networks of human smugglers
operating in Greece is safely in the thousands. This problem has become large enough to attract the
attention of many aid organizations including one which sought to bring attention to the situation by
holding a Miss. Africa beauty pageant in Athens coupled with a conference on prostitution, human
trafficking, and AIDS (Tzilivakis 2006b). I believe the irony and contradiction here were intentional.