This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Rescued migrant hopes for better life in Europe for baby born on warship
Sorry - this page has been removed.
(26 days later)
Related: Rescued Mediterranean migrant gives birth to baby girl on Italian navy ship
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
A woman who gave birth on a warship after the Italian navy rescued her from a migrant boat has said her daughter will have a better life in Europe after surviving the dangerous voyage.
Baby Francesca Marina, named after St Francis and the Italian navy, was delivered aboard the Bettica naval vessel in the Mediterranean a week ago. Once ashore, she suffered seizures and was put in intensive care.
For further information, please contact:
A week on, Francesca and her mother, Stephanie Samuel, 24, have recovered and doctors in Sicily said they would probably be transferred to an immigration centre for families with small children in a few days’ time.
Related: Libya's people smugglers: inside the trade that sells refugees hopes of a better life
The story of the migrant baby born aboard a navy ship captured international media attention at the end of one of the busiest weekends for sea crossings from Libya to Europe this year, during which about 6,800 people were rescued and dozens are said to have drowned.
Samuel, who is Nigerian, worked for two years in Tripoli as a housemaid to save money to pay smugglers for the trip. The boat she set off in with about 90 others stalled after three hours at sea.
By the time they were picked up by the Bettica off the Libyan coast seven hours later, she was unconscious after suffering epileptic seizures and had gone into labour.
Related: People smugglers using Facebook to lure migrants into 'Italy trips'
“I didn’t expect the baby, you know, but she just came,” Samuel said. “I just wanted to leave Libya. Italy is better than Libya and Nigeria is the worst.”
Of her daughter, she said: “God decides, not me … but I believe she will have a more good future in Europe.”
So far this year more than 30,000 people have reached Italy by sea from north Africa, mostly from Libya. More than 170,000 came last year. The interior ministry has said 200,000 might make it to Italy’s shores in 2015.
Many are political refugees such as Syrians fleeing civil war or Eritreans escaping forced military conscription, while others like Samuel are economic migrants in search of a better life.
Samuel said her husband, who was still working in Libya, was ready to risk the sea crossing to be with her and their daughter as soon as he could afford to pay the smugglers, who demand up to £1,000 for passage on overcrowded, rickety boats.
