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Little Muhamad was reunited with his parents after four days apart.

UNHCR/Mark Henley

Vulnerable and Looking for a Home

The very young, the aged and the disabled face especially difficult challenges while waiting to cross borders in Europe.

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  • Written by
    Céline Schmitt
  • Photos by
    Mark Henley
28 October 2015 28 October 2015
Serbia

More than 705,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean Sea this year, including 562,000 in Greece. In many places strict border management procedures are now in place. Refugees are not allowed to cross for a certain time in order to avoid overcrowding and to wait until transit centres have capacity to receive more refugees. This creates backlogs, which can in turn lead to frustration, frayed tempers and more confusion.

It is a miserable wait. As ever, the most vulnerable – young, old, women and disabled – are at most risk.

To address this situation, UNHCR has called for a series of stabilization measures, including strong support to countries hosting the vast majority of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees; an information campaign about the dangers of the sea journey; and the development of legal pathways to seek protection in Europe.

Céline Schmitt photo
Written by
Céline Schmitt Based in Paris, France

Born in France, Céline has worked with UNHCR since 2007 in Geneva, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering refugee stories in Central Africa and the Great Lakes region. Now spokesperson in Paris, she works with the media to advocate for refugees arriving in Europe. She previously worked for the French Embassy in Tanzania, an NGO in Cape Verde and Thales in Paris. A graduate of Strasbourg’s Institut d’Études Politiques, she holds an M.A. in development, cooperation and humanitarian affairs from the Sorbonne.

Mark Henley photo
Photos by
Mark Henley Based in Geneva, Switzerland

Mark has worked with UNHCR since 2015. He has spent twenty years covering social and economic affairs in the developing world, and his work has been published worldwide by most major international publications and organizations. He was recently twice named Swiss Press Photographer of the Year in his adopted home country.