Thousands of lone Afghan boys are making their way across Europe, fleeing the poverty and violence that still haunt their homeland. The trend has accelerated in recent years as conditions for Afghan refugees become more difficult in Iran and Pakistan. Some are as young as 12, but most are teenagers seeking an education and a future that is not possible in their own country.
"Afghanistan is haemorrhaging its youth into Europe," Pierre Henry, director of the NGO France...
more »Thousands of lone Afghan boys are making their way across Europe, fleeing the poverty and violence that still haunt their homeland. The trend has accelerated in recent years as conditions for Afghan refugees become more difficult in Iran and Pakistan. Some are as young as 12, but most are teenagers seeking an education and a future that is not possible in their own country.
"Afghanistan is haemorrhaging its youth into Europe," Pierre Henry, director of the NGO France Terre d'Asile, told the New York Times. Another organisation, the Separated Children in Europe Program, estimates that there are 100,000 unaccompanied children from non-E.U. countries within the European Union.
Greece, in particular, which has no foster system for foreign minors, has been overwhelmed by the number of asylum seekers crossing its borders. Moises Saman travelled across the country on the westward trail taken by the migrants, from the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea to the capital city Athens and then on to the port of Patras. In July 2009, Greek police raided a camp in Patras where hundreds of Afghan immigrants were living. A fire destroyed the tents, forcing them to flee to a forest on the outskirts of town.
One of the Afghans in Patras told Human Rights Watch: "We're living like animals in the jungle... we can't take a shower and we don't have proper food... before I lived in the camp, but all of my things and clothes were burned. Now I have a shirt and a pair of pants, nothing else."
"It appears Greece is doing everything it can to close the door on persons who seek protection in Europe, no matter how vulnerable they are," said Bill Frelick, refugee policy director at Human Rights Watch. "The European Union must hold Greece accountable for acts contrary to international and European human rights and refugee law, and it needs to act fast, as the lives of many are at risk."
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