A sign indicates the crossing points for porters at the Moroccan-Spanish border in Melilla. Hundreds of people work carrying big packages of goods on their backs over the border. Melilla is a Spanish exclave on the north coast of Africa bounded by Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea. Many would-be migrants see it as the gateway to Europe which accounts for the high-level of security along its borders. However, it is also a route of entry for goods and, if they can be carried by a person (the Bario Chino gate is for pedestrians only), do not attract import taxes. Thus a micro-industry has evolved carrying huge packages of goods over the border. Once the preserve of poor women, known as 'Mule-Women', the economic crisis means more and more men are acting as porters and they aggressively seek out the limited employment opportunities.