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Ignacio Lillo
Friday, 23 May 2025, 11:16
It was nowhere near the life María had envisioned for herself when she moved from Morocco to Granada to study at university. She enrolled in Computer Engineering - a challenging degree she tackled with determination. She studied hard and lived relatively well, though she doesn't say so directly; some things are just obvious. A kind of scholarship, in the form of an inheritance from her parents, helped her get by.
She completed her degree and earned her qualification, and would have been a sought-after professional in Malaga's Tech Park, where people with her background are in high demand.
But for reasons she never quite explains, she returned to her home country to be with her remaining family after the loss of her father. And that, it seems, was her undoing.
From that point on, her story grows darker and more cryptic, always on the edge of tears. She describes an oppressive environment - too traditional, too bound by religion - where, as a woman, her role was reduced to next to nothing, "little more than a mule", in her own words. But she was educated, had a degree and was fully aware of her worth. She refused to accept a life of invisibility. That's when things began to unravel.
Many pieces are missing from the puzzle of her sad story - whether she ever worked as an engineer, had a home, a partner. She speaks only of pain and suffering, which have clearly taken a toll on her health. She is still young, though it doesn't take a psychologist to see she suffers from deep depression. Yet she shows no signs of addiction.
Now, she survives by begging on the streets of Torremolinos, scraping together just enough to eat. She's resourceful, having already found a way to access social assistance, likely with help from the local social services. Hopefully, she'll manage to rent a room.
Meeting María left me with two reflections I want to share. First, no matter how secure we may feel in our lives - our jobs, families and friends - none of us is immune to a twist of fate that could leave us sleeping on an airport bench overnight. And that's not even the worst-case scenario. Second, as a society, we must ensure the existence of basic safety nets, so that those who have lost everything - if they choose - can find a path back to dignity and reintegration; a second chance for those who never chose the life they're living now.
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