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THE ROUTE FROM SYRIA TO EUROPE
Chapter IX: Route

THE ROUTE FROM SYRIA TO EUROPE: Route

For many refugees, the brutal route one must travel to reach Europe feels like a long walk of shame. The absence of safe and legal pathways to sanctuary pushes them to risk their lives at sea and to travel thousands of kilometres in appalling conditions, in search of safety.

 

Fear and uncertainty. This is the first contact with the European Union for the refugees that arrive to the Greek islands in rubber speedboats. | ANNA SURINYACH
Women, children, people with disabilities—on the route there are not only young men, but entire families trying to reach Europe. I ANNA SURINYACH
For much of 2015, boats were constantly arriving at the Greek island of Lesbos. The beaches were littered with life jackets and other debris left behind by refugees. I ANNA SURINYACH
Once in Greece, refugees must register. Many have no documents. Others, like this family, obsessively tried to save and preserve everything they had to identify themselves. I ANNA SURINYACH
Queues in the port of Lesbos: from here, the refugees take a commercial ferry that takes them to Athens. That’s where the land route begins. I ANNA SURINYACH
They have no time to lose. When they get to Athens, the refugees board a bus that takes them to the border with Macedonia. I ANNA SURINYACH
It is a different crisis. The refugees not only need humanitarian assistance. They also need guidance, wireless internet, GPS. I ANNA SURINYACH
The border between Greece and Macedonia, which must be crossed on foot. I ANNA SURINYACH
Thousands of people crowd together in the mud and dirt at the border between Serbia and Croatia, where they were held for more than a day. I ANNA SURINYACH
This is the border between Serbia and Croatia soon after the Croatian authorities decided to open the border and let refugees enter. I ANNA SURINYACH