Switzerland funds TV ads to deter African migrants

GENEVA, Nov 25, 2007 (AFP) - Switzerland is funding TV adverts to be shown in Nigeria and Cameroon to try to deter would-be illegal immigrants from coming to the country, the International Organisation for Migration confirmed Sunday.

Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick said that one such advert had been shown on Nigerian TV at half-time during last Tuesday's international football match between Nigeria and Switzerland.

The paper published screen stills of the advert, showing an African migrant phoning his father from Switzerland and assuring him all is well, while in reality he is forced to live on the street, chased by the police and beg for a living.

The aim of the campaign, produced by the IOM and funded by Switzerland's Federal Migration Office, is to 'give a more balanced view of irregular migration networks,' IOM spokesman Jean-Philippe Chauzy told AFP.

Many African migrants pay thousands of dollars to smuggling networks who assure them that life in Switzerland or other European countries will be easy, whilst in reality they are at risk of exploitation, poverty and deportation, he said.

The IOM has also produced similar adverts in Senegal and Niger, funded by Spain and the European Union respectively, he added.

Such adverts are not a 'panacea' but a 'useful tool' in the fight against people smuggling, Chauzy said.

Switzerland's hard-right justice minister Christoph Blocher supports the campaign. He told SonntagsBlick that 'we must show the Africans that Switzerland is not paradise'.

Blocher's populist Swiss People's Party won the most votes in last month's federal elections after a provocative campaign that focused heavily on immigration.