English Channel: The "death journey” to the UK
July 6, 2021, 5:03 am

Zara saleh

In recent months, the number of migrants who attempted crossing the English Channel from northern France to enter the UK has dramatically been increased. Comparing to the last year, only in the last six months of 2021 the number has reached a peak and about 6000 migrants have successfully entered the UK.

Such sharp rise of migrants who attempt to cross the Channel to Britain comes after the UK government declared that the new migration law will be discussed in the parliament during this week. The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has already warned the smugglers and migrants who are trying illegally to cross the UK border and seeking asylum will face long prison sentences. According to the new upcoming legislations, entering the UK without permission will consider as a criminal offence. Added to that, the migrants who found guilty might face up to four-year prison whereas, smugglers maybe face life sentences- up from 14 years.

People are risking their life to make such dangerous and illegal "death journey" and paying smugglers thousands of pounds to reach the British territories and then claiming to be an asylum seeker. Due to the appalling condition in Calais north France, criminal gangs using such a situation to put their benefits even before those migrants are crossing the Channel. The smugglers, therefore, are preferred to choose boat crossing as it is easy to enter and not expensive for them that cost about £4,000 with an inflatable and engine, and the smugglers usually charge every person between £3,500 and £5,000. Added to that, putting more people in boats including children, people's life became in more danger during the journey, and many migrants have lost their lives in previous years.

Arguably, people are risking their lives when crossing the English Channel using boats as currently, they are aware of the new UK legislation that will take place soon. That is why the migrant's number who had chosen to cross the Channel has been increased and eventually, this route will be closed in front of smugglers at first because of hard punishment. The new plan for immigration legislation might take place soon as the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed that and she added that "We will welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system". As a result, different human rights organisations are criticising such way of dealing with all migrants who are seeking asylum in the UK. There are many people who have been forced to leave their homeland due to civil wars, and such conditions will carry on as still various of migrants are coming from conflict-affected areas such as Syria, Yemen, and Sudan. death journey

by: Zara Saleh levant

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Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”