GREECE

In 2015, almost 1 million refugees and irregular migrants arrived in Europe. Headlines were dominated by tragic mass drownings in the Aegean, or footage of crowds moving through different countries – often in the hope of reaching Northern Europe. At the time, I was working as part of a challenging humanitarian response in the Middle East, and the ensuing migration crisis. The following images were taken on the Greek Island of Lesvos in summer 2015 as part of a rapid assessment in the early months of the initial upsurge in crossings.

In March 2016 the EU-Turkey was agreed - it has shaped and symbolized Europe’s response to the refugee crisis, both in practical terms and in principal. It has resulted in a smaller number of arrivals to mainland Europe, but has placed a disproportionate burden on Greece – a country that was already under significant economic strain. It has turned the islands in to sites of indefinite containment: the Mayor of Lesvos has referred to the island as “Europe’s Guantanamo bay” with some people have now been living in camps in Lesvos, Samos and Kos for several years - destitute and out of hope.