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  • Writer's pictureMechthild

Syrian teenage girls with spunk

Updated: Mar 7, 2023

The parents wanted her 17-year-old brother to leave before he would be drafted. The 16-years-old sister would not stay behind. The other family has been on the road (and out of school) for 4 years.


Courageous Syrian girls, H. (16) and sisters B.(17) and N. (16)


Three friends with long flowing hair + beautiful eye make-up – some of the few without a hijab. They sit down with me with yet another friend, a 25-year-old Iraqi woman who prefers not to be in the photo.

The sisters are 16 and 17 and travel with father, brother (15) and youngest sister (7). The whole Kurdish-Syrian family left Aleppo in early 2014. By then their school had already been closed for over a year. The last time any of them went to school was 5 years ago. They first relocated inside Syria to Efrin for about a year, then walked across the Syrian-Turkish border on foot. They had to wait for good moments to avoid getting shot by snipers. They stayed a year in Istanbul.

Then they had to make a hard decision. The traffickers asked for so much money, the family only had enough for one 1 person.

They decided the mother should travel ahead to Holland. The father moved with the children to Mersin, a small city on Turkey's south-east coast to escape hostility to Kurds in Istanbul where he found no work. He still had trouble finding enough work and saving for a passage to Holland. After another year they moved to Izmir to get to Greece. They eventually crossed at first try 20 days ago and had their interview 2 days ago on July 22. In 2 days they will get their ‘Ausweis’ (oddly, the German work for 'ID' is used by all.) along with their 90 Euro monthly stipend for bus, personal items - and yes, make-up! Jokes aside, they miss their mother terribly.



H.'s school in Damascus closed 3 years ago. So she learned English at home by watching films with subtitles. Every day.

H. is 16 and travels alone with her 18-year old brother. They arrived in Moria 15 days ago. "Why did the young teenagers decide to leave alone on such a journey?" I asked.

The parents wanted their son out of the country before he turned 18 so he would not get drafted into the Syrian army.

H. was desperate that there would not be another chance to leave. She thought joining her brother was her only chance to get out. Their parents eventually agreed and borrowed money from many friends and family to afford the $ 3,000 the smugglers asked for housing, food, and boat passage for 2.

I was only 16. It was so hard for my parents to let me go.

Now the parents are trying to sell their house so they can leave, too. But it is hard to sell a house in Damascus when it can be destroyed any day. In Turkey the teens first stayed in Antakya, just across the border for a month, then moved on to Izmir by bus and car. Again they stayed for a month.

The siblings tried 3 boats before they could cross. The third boat had 60 people in it.

The smugglers gave them too little gas and the engine stopped in the middle of the ocean. They drifted on the sea at night for 7 hours. There were many waves + water started getting into the boat. Thankfully most small children were asleep and did not notice. None of the adults could sleep. They were terrified. They tried to call an emergency rescue number but it did not work. Finally a boy got a connection and could give a GPS location to the Greek rescue boat.

Now they have no money at all (They need the ‘Ausweis’ before they get the 90 Euro a month). At least at the community center they can eat for free, get some clothes and sanitary items. They have cousins in Holland and hope to move there.

On the outside the three seem almost ordinary teenagers, phone, earplugs and all. It is impossible to imagine what they have been through. I hope their resilience will help them take root in their new lives.


Update 2018: From Facebook messenger I know that H and her brother have asylum and are in Tessaloniki. But H. is not allowed to work until she is 18. So basic survival and food is a big problem. They worry about their parents. Her mother is very ill.


Update 2019: Now H. is 18 but still cannot find work. She split from her brother and tries alone for better chances in Athens. So far I have not heard that she found work.




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