PRODUCTION: ARTE
DISTRIBUTION: ARTE
COUNTRY: France
YEAR: 2024
LENGTH: 14′
DIRECTED BY: Manon Bachelot

This investigation reveals how traffickers use social networks, particularly TikTok, to encourage migrants to illegally cross the Channel. In the videos, traffickers promote illegal crossings and offer unrealistic promises regarding the safety and outcome of the crossing. For between 1,700 and 4,000 euros per person, migrants cross the channel in makeshift boats, risking death. What the traffickers do not say is that, in reality, these shipments are extremely dangerous. Thanks to in-depth research on social networks and reverse image analysis tools, the investigation reveals who the traffickers behind these social media accounts are: journalist Manon Bachelot contacted the traffickers by pretending to be a migrant wishing to go to England. In 2023, almost 35,000 migrants took to the sea to attempt the crossing: this large-scale trafficking, accessible to all on TikTok, also raises questions about the responsibility of the platforms.