Why Egypt's young dream of life abroad

Every day hundreds of Egyptians pay large amounts of money to smugglers to embark on an often perilous journey in unseaworthy boats to Europe, mainly via Libya.

Some never make it to their final destination, perishing at sea because the overcrowded boats capsized or sank in bad weather.

Yet despite the dangers many people don't seem to be put off. Some who made it to Europe but were later deported have even tried going back again. In fact, according to a recent study by the Earth Centre for Studies almost half a million (460,000) Egyptians have successfully entered Europe illegally in the last decade, and 90,000 live in Italy alone. Another study into attitudes towards migration by the Arabic Labour Organisation is equally revealing.

It found that 50% of students who take up postgraduate studies in Europe or the United States don't return to Egypt, meaning the country is losing some of its brightest and most talented pupils. Two thousand young people took part in the study and when asked whether they would like to live and work abroad, 50% said yes.

Rasha Mohammed, an unemployed law graduate, does not think she will find work any time soon. "Jobs are very scarce and if you want to work you have to know someone important," she says. Ms Mohammed has set her sights on working in another country. "Saudi Arabia would be a good place,'' she says. "Or maybe London."

She admits that she is afraid of living on her own in Europe. But she would still go if the chance arose, despite the fact that the British economy is still in recession. Read more @ BBC