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A queue of porters wait with their heavy loads to cross the border in Melilla. Hundreds of people work ferrying the heavy loads 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 the huge packages 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.
Samuel Aranda/Panos Pictures /Felix Features 21 Jan 2014