Four Finnish celebrities will be spending 24 hours in a shipping container, experiencing just a small fraction of what migrants experience in their attempt to reach Europe.  The goal is to raise awareness about the current migrant crisis, human trafficking, and immigration policy.  Yle News explains what the project entails:

“While inside, the volunteers’ movements will be tracked by infra-red cameras mounted on the roof, and viewers can follow the celebrities’ experience via a live stream.”

Yle News

You can read the full article here.

OUR TAKE:

• People who make the voyage across the sea in a shipping container have varied stories.  Some, fleeing war, violence, or poverty, pay smugglers to get them into Europe or North America.  Others are deceived; they think they are being smuggled, but once they land, they are trafficked.  Some are forced into containers by traffickers.
• We once met a former trafficker whose job it was to separate confused, exhausted families when their container was opened in port. He would take the girls and sell them into prostitution.
• Whether a person is being smuggled or trafficked, the conditions inside the container are awful.  Waning oxygen, lack of food, water, light, and bathrooms, as well as the rocking of the ship, make for an uncomfortable and dangerous voyage.  Some don’t make it.
• While this group from Finland is only experiencing a tip of the iceberg (they don’t hide the fact that they are allowed water and chocolate, and will have air conditioning and access to an emergency handle), their efforts no doubt will raise awareness about the real plight of those desperate enough to make the dangerous journey across the sea.