For women seeking refuge in Spain, a trail of peril awaits

On the last leg of her long and perilous journey to Europe, Joy Good was eight months pregnant. Fortunately, she was rescued from a rubber dinghy bobbing off the coast of Spain last August.

The 20-year-old had started her trip to Spain from a small Nigerian village two years earlier. She says life there was tough for a young woman like her, especially after her first pregnancy – a result of a rape when she was just 15 years old.

‘I left because I don’t have help,’ said Good. ‘I don’t have anyone.’

Both of her parents died when she was young. So, as soon as she gave birth to the child – a girl – Good handed her over to neighbours in the village. Then she headed north, hoping to find better opportunities in Europe.

But the journey proved more difficult than she had anticipated.

‘The police [at