11/22/2015 Uncertain Journeys The New York Times

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11/22/2015 Uncertain Journeys The New York Times

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Y ASHLY GILRTSON NOV. 21, 2015

Uncertain Journeys

11/22/2015 Uncertain Journeys The New York Times

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Volunteers help refugees, primarily from Syria, Iraq andAfghanistan, disembark on the island of Lesbos, Greece, nearTurkey. The Aegean Sea is particularly rough, with the first

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Turkey. The Aegean Sea is particularly rough, with the firstsigns of winter storms beginning in late September when Imade this photograph. During their journey, many refugeeswere seasick, and some suffered from lifethreateningdehydration and cold.Credit Photographs by Ashley Gilbertson/VII Photo for Unicef

AFTER the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, our resolve to help refugees should be

stronger than ever. As we express our anger and grief, we must remember

that they are fleeing precisely the type of violence that France experienced

that night. Rather than turning them away, the United States and Europe

need to fully commit to managing their safe passage, screening and

settlement, and not leave it up to the ragtag teams of volunteers who have

so far been stepping in where governments and agencies have failed.

I recently spent three weeks photographing the refugee crisis in Greece, the

Balkans and Germany, on assignment for Unicef. On the rocky shores of

the Greek island of Lesbos, people scrambled out of their boats, welcomed

by an ad hoc group of dedicated and passionate volunteers. Almost

700,000 refugees have arrived in the country this year after making the

dangerous passage by sea from Turkey.

Governments and NGOs generally have sophisticated systems in place to

manage the flow of people in emergency situations in developing countries.

But I came across only occasional interventions by organized agencies.

The volunteers, many on vacation from throughout Europe and the United

States, were filling the gaps. Some of them had medical training; a group of

Spanish lifeguards patrolled the coast, diving into the frigid waters to

rescue people; some handed out sandwiches they were making all day; and

others distributed warm, dry clothes collected from towns and suburbs

back home.

“Welcome to Europe!” they called out, hugging relieved refugees. There

were many tears. Children, then parents, were wrapped in metallic space

11/22/2015 Uncertain Journeys The New York Times

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were many tears. Children, then parents, were wrapped in metallic space

blankets. They were given medical assistance and provided with

information about the next steps in their passage.

Their welcome is some of the only warmth in a cold and arduous journey.

Men, women, children, the disabled, the elderly — no matter — they’re all

packed one on top of the other into crowded train cars; screamed at in

foreign languages; marched to buses by platoons of cops in full riot gear;

kept in lines or clear of border fences by police officers using tear gas and

batons; forced to wait for days at a time in filthy, backedup transit centers;

and generally treated like undesirables, or worse, like criminals.

I expected the scenes of grief, trauma and desperation. I was surprised to

find the many moments of relief, even joy, as the refugees built bonds and

passed through hardship together. It is crucial that we bear witness to all of

these aspects of the story.

As members of the public, I believe, we need to act as the watchdogs of

governments and local authorities. We have to demand that policy makers

provide systematic humanitarian assistance and not leave it solely up to

volunteers to do the work.

We should be pressuring governments to treat the refugees as members of

their own families. And everybody could be donating clothes, money or

even our vacation time to receive them where they arrive.

We should not let that terrible night in Paris diminish our sense of

humanity and responsibility. Let’s remember that the society that we are so

protective of is built on the will of refugees — our own families and the

families making the frightening journey today — with the hope of providing

a better life for our children.

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A volunteer on Leo, Kadoni Kinan, 26, pulled a oung Srian o from araft that had jut arrived from Turke.

In 2010, when Mr. Kinan fled Sria, he taed at a Red Cro center in

elgium for more than two ear. “The gave me a lot when I wa living there,and now it’ time for me to give them omething ack,” he aid.

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Mr. Kinan, 26, flew to Greece to volunteer two month ago.

“I did thi ecaue I am melf a refugee and I know thi feeling ver well. Itwould e good for the refugee who come oat to find omeone welcomingthem,” he aid. “I found m oul doing thi.”

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I alo aw man moment of onding. Two rother, on the left, Ali AdulHalim, 17, and Ahmad AdulHalim, 15, are moving unaccompanied toGerman from their home in alaak, Leanon. The paued on a rock to calltheir parent to a that the’d urvived the journe over the ea.

Huein Naizadeh, 32, held hi on’ hand a the egan the long walk to anaid tation that would provide dr clothe and food.

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A Srian refugee wa wailing near an elderl relative ling on a each, adldehdrated and uffering from a heart condition.

ventuall, a lone Dutch volunteer howed up. He had no idea what to do —and wh hould he?

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At a tranit camp in Gevgelija, Macedonia, people queued up to regiter andreceive travel paper after croing the order from Greece. From here, refugeeoard a pecial train that take them to the Serian order, a tranit countr formot of the refugee heading wet.

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People prepared to oard a train at Gevgelija.

Tranport option are ecoming increaingl limited a the crii develop, andoperator of pecial train like thi are charging refugee aout $37 each tomake their wa north. A numer of people run out of mone efore themanage to enter the uropean Union.

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Men, women, children, the dialed and the elderl are all packed like cattleinto overcrowded train acro Macedonia, from the edge of Greece to theSerian order. Paenger often wear mak to avoid inhaling the exhaut

from the engine and to mak the foul mell of the toilet and urning rake pad.Throughout their journe, the are extorted mafiarun operation andhuman muggler.

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In a quiet moment, Roa Jelal, 20, changed her daughter a the paedthrough a tranit center in Sid, Seria. M. Jelal i a refugee from Koani,Sria, and wa hoping to make her wa to German with her famil.

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Refugee waited in line for up to three da in Preevo, Seria. Mot da,aout 5,000 people crowded into the town, overwhelming the capacit of thereception center, and reulting in trongarm tactic from the local police.

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Muneer Youafi, 16, who wa traveling alone from Afghanitan when I methim, learned how to have with new friend in a park a u tation indowntown elgrade, Seria.

Muneer and hi famil left Kunduz, where he grew up, after the Taliandetroed their houe during fighting earlier thi ear. In the attack, Muneer lotpartial ue of the left ide of hi od, including hi ee, arm and leg. “Weecaped to MazariSharif, ecaue the ituation in Kunduz wa too dangerou.ut all of Afghanitan i too dangerou, o m famil collected all of theirmone and ent me here for ecurit, and to get new citizenhip,” he aid. Tenda efore I met him earl Octoer, he ran out of mone, and had een tuck

11/22/2015 Uncertain Journeys The New York Times

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in elgrade, living out of a tent in the park the central u tation, which haecome a reting place for thoe on their wa wet. Hi traveling companioncontinued to German, and, he a, “I am reling on other Afghan to give mea little it of mone until I can get enough to get to German.”

Three week after I met him, I received a note from Muneer aing he’d made itto Sweden.

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Shaimae Drazeni, 15, at center, i from Hala, Sria. I photographed her a hewa paing through a tranit center in erkaovo, northwet Seria. She warelieved to e on her wa to afet, though he wa firm in her reolve to returnto Sria a oon a he could.

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An Italian volunteer orted hoe for refugee at Mikalite, a volunteerruncenter in Seria, which provide medical aitance, clothe, hoe, food andother neceitie.

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Ahle Gilerton i an Autralian photographer and director living in New York Cit. Hi mot recent ook i “edroom of the Fallen.”

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A father comforted hi on inide a refugee tranit center in Opatovac, Croatia.At thi center, refugee were held ehind high dirt erm in different quadrantof the camp, until police officer in full riot gear marched them out to ue.

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