"They chased me to the point that they went after my son. When he walked to and from school they threatened him and I got worried about him.” Says Mohieddin.
"The reasons I took the risk with my kids, I have six kids whom I risked at sea, the first reason was the threats my husband and son were under, the second that my daughter is diabetic: Her liver is enlarged and there is no cure in Libya.” Adds Hanan
They contacted a smuggler who arranged their sea crossing to Malta. They sold everything they had, paid for the journey, and boarded the boat with their six children. They were four days at sea. The last day the situation became critical.
“On the last day, the waves started hitting the boat from the front, water started flooding the boat and we expected to die.” Explains Hanan.
“Water was flooding in from the back and from the front, the sailor himself when we reached Malta said he knew the boat was sinking but didn't want to scare us.He asked us to remain quiet, and so we did, he told us the boat is safe, the boat is safe...” Mohieddin explains.
“…but we felt unsafe because there was already water flooding in beneath our feet...” adds Hannan.
They called for rescue many times but did not get any promise of help. Finally, at night, a Maltese ship rescued them and took them to Malta. Hanan says this was a journey you will only do if you have a knife at your neck.
