The vast majority of the world’s refugees do not come to the UK or even to Europe. Most are hosted within neighbouring countries or, if they have tried to move on further, may be trapped within transit countries on the external border of the European Union. Many of these countries are ill-equipped to guarantee the protection of those fleeing persecution and offer little in the way of durable solutions for refugees, such as local integration or resettlement. The Refugee Council’s research report entitled ‘Remote Controls: how UK border controls are endangering the lives of refugees’ documented the experiences of refugees in Turkey, just one example of a transit country where refugees are caught in ‘permanent transition’.
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The stories and photographs gathered during the research testify to the endurance and bravery of the refugees we met. Many had endured terrifying journeys to Turkey during which they were shot at by border guards and threatened by smugglers. According to Fortress Europe, since 1988, 207 migrants have been shot dead by border police, including 32 who were killed in eastern Turkey, along the borders with Iran and Iraq. Once they had reached Turkey, these refugees were then subjected to a life of extreme poverty, as they are unable to work or access mainstream benefits. Some experienced physical violence and detention. Others feared being returned to a country of persecution, known as refoulement. Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, a Turkish NGO that works to promote and secure the protection of refugees in Turkey, has recorded grave reports of refoulment, including the deportation of 25 Uzbek refugees to Iran in September 2008. 22 of the group had been recognized as “refugees” by the UNHCR and the other two had asylum cases pending. They were able to return to Turkey but were then deported to Iran for the second time the following month. In April 2008, Turkish authorities forced 18 people to swim across a river on the border with Iraq, leading to the death of four, one of whom was a recognized refugee.
Those refugees who are allowed to remain in Turkey are not necessarily safe. Some are held in detention facilities and denied access to legal representation, UNHCR or local NGOs. Some are lucky to receive food and household goods from local charities, while others resort to prostitution in order to survive years of waiting to find out about their asylum claim. It is no surprise that some choose to move on irregularly to find a more sustainable solution in Europe. Unfortunately, transit countries are a key target of UK border controls, and considerable resources are expended in order to ensure that irregular migrants are intercepted before they reach Europe. In their desperation, refugees take extraordinary risks in order to reach safety in Europe. Fortress Europe notes that, since 1988 112 people have frozen to death trying to cross the icy mountains that border Europe, including those between Turkey and Greece. Mine-fields lining the Evros river between Turkey and Greece have claimed the lives of at least 92 people since 1988, according to the same source.
The refugees we met and interviewed for this research remain nameless and faceless in order to protect their identities. But their stories, drawings and photographs call attention to the border control activities of European Member States and the thousands of nameless and faceless refugees who have died trying to reach protection in Europe.
