2012. Corinth, Greece. Migrant hide behind the rocks in the port during the night, waiting to attempt to illegally board a cargo ship going to Italy.

Alessandro Penso

Lost Generation: This is the Story of Young, Unaccompanied Migrants in Greece

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Hundreds, thousands, hidden in the abandoned industrial areas that surround the port of Patras or in the old disused train station in the centre of Corinth.
I found them in the “urban holes” that dot the landscape of an Athens wounded by the crisis. They are the kids I followed for this project, some of whom are very young. After desperate journeys, they arrive from the wars which have tormented their countries in recent years. But war, for them, was only the beginning of the tragedy.
Those who come from the Middle East and Central Asia are trying to reach Europe, the land I am lucky enough to call home, through its eastern door, Greece. They then get stuck there, amidst increasingly harsh security checks and racism which tragically often degenerates into neo-Nazi violence. For many, there is the hope of being able to rebuild the sort of life that would be impossible in their countries.

2012. Corinth, Greece. Migrant hide behind the rocks in the port during the night, waiting to attempt to illegally board a cargo ship going to Italy.

2012. Greece, Corinth. Mohamed from Morocco and his friends hiding behind the rocks at the port during the night, waiting for the right time to illegally board a ship to Italy. In Greece more than 99.5% (2011) of requests for asylum are refused. For this reason, they are forced to hide, because having a Greek police record would mean the end of the dream of safe reception in Europe.

2012.Corinth. Greece. Ali from Algeria lives in the old train station of Corinth. In Corinth, a small sea town on the Peloponnese, the boarding of boats directly is attempted, at least by group of North Africans who have established themselves in an old train station

012. Greece. Orestiada. A group of migrants spends the night in the railway station of Orestiada after crossing the border with Turkey.

2012. Patras. Greece. Refugees in an occupied factory in Patras. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships which dock in the port and which are then sent to Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

2013. Patras. Greece. Three young Afghans spend the night in an abandoned place near the beach of Patras.

2011. Athens. Greece. Migrant from Morocco , 17 years old, sleep in street in Gazi Area.

2013. Patras. Greece. Abandoned bathing house where migrants from Afganistan find shelter.

2012. Athens Greece. A room where sleep the migrants in the old Columbia records factory. Columbia was once a leader in the music industry but today the factory has been completely abandoned and kids from a variety of nationalities now take refuge there.

2011. Athens. Greece. Mohammed from Algeria lives inside the old Columbia records factory. Columbia was once a leader in the music industry but today the factory has been completely abandoned and kids of various nationalities now take refuge there. 5533:

2012. Patras. Greece. View from the factory where illegal immigrants live, near the port of Patras. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships which dock in the port and which are then sent to Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

2012. Patras. Greece. A group of adolescents waiting to attempt to illegally board trucks going to Italy. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships which dock in the port and which are then sent to Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

2012. Patras. Greece. A group of adolescents trying to illegally board trucks going to Italy. A group of Afghan boys aged 14 to 18 years, on a traffic island. Every day, these kids try to illegally board trucks going towards Italy. One of the most common ways of illegally leaving Greece which is attempted is the illegal boarding of goods trucks which will subsequently be loaded onto cargo ships for Italy. Over the years, many young people have lost their lives attempting this, while others are stopped by the police. A very small percentage manages to succeed in this desperate attempt. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships which dock in the port and which are then sent to Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece

The young Afghans I met are mainly fleeing the forced militarization practiced by the Taliban in Afghanistan, subsequent to the war that affected the country in 2001. For many others who are fleeing a scorching North Africa in revolt, the hope is to have recognized the rights denied by the radicalization of the violence in their country of origin. Persecution for religious and ethnic reasons, or due to political opinion, could allow them to obtain refugee status in other European Union countries, but certainly not in Greece.
For this reason, they are forced to hide, because having a Greek police record would mean the end of the dream of safe reception in Europe. I learned that this is set out by the Dublin Regulation, the EU law with responsibility for granting asylum. According to the regulation, the country where a person is first identified is the country that has the duty and right to decide whether to grant refugee status or not, irrespective of where the application for asylum is made.

2012. Corinth. Greece. Mohammed, Ahmed and Nabi from Morocco in the wagon where they live in the abandoned train station of Corinth. In Corinth, a small sea town on the Peloponnese, the boarding of boats directly is attempted by group of North Africans who have established themselves in an old train station.

2012. Greece. Corinth. A group of North Africans was attacked by three locals. Mostafa El Mouzdahir, a 20-year old from Morocco, was hit by a car and sustained multiple injuries. I went to see him in hospital. With him, he had a police form which asked him to leave the country within 15 days because he was there illegally.

2012. Greece. Corinth. Mostafa under shock after was hit by a car and sustained multiple injurie. A group of North Africans was attacked by three locals. Mostafa El Mouzdahir, a 20-year old from Morocco, was hit by a car and sustained multiple injuries. I went to see him in hospital. With him, he had a police form which asked him to leave the country within 15 days because he was there illegally.

2011. Athens. Greece. 17-year old Ali from Algeria lives in the old Columbia records factory. Columbia was once a leader in the music industry but today the factory has been completely abandoned and kids of various nationalities now take refuge there.

2012. Corinth. Greece. Young migrants from North Africa near the Port of Corinth looking at the cargo ship they hope to illegally board later that night. In Corinth, a small sea town on the Peloponnese, the boarding of boats directly is attempted by group of North Africans who have established themselves in an old train station.

Patras. Greece. Young Afghans cooking in an abandoned factory in Patras. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships that dock in the port and are bound for Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

2013.Patras. Greece. A group of young afghans celebrate Ashura . ‘Ashura is a religious observance marked every year by Muslims. The word ‘ashura literally means “10th,” as it is on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year. ‘Ashura is an ancient observance that is now recognized for different reasons and in different ways among Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. Shi’a Muslims observe the day in mourning for Hussein and in remembrance of his martyrdom. Reenactments and plays are performed, attempting to relive the tragedy and keep the lessons of this event alive. Some Shi’a Muslims beat and flog themselves in parades on this day, to express their grief and to reenact the pain that Hussein suffered.

2013.Patras. Greece. A group of young afghans celebrate Ashura . ‘Ashura is a religious observance marked every year by Muslims. The word ‘ashura literally means “10th,” as it is on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year. ‘Ashura is an ancient observance that is now recognized for different reasons and in different ways among Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. Shi’a Muslims observe the day in mourning for Hussein and in remembrance of his martyrdom. Reenactments and plays are performed, attempting to relive the tragedy and keep the lessons of this event alive. Some Shi’a Muslims beat and flog themselves in parades on this day, to express their grief and to reenact the pain that Hussein suffered.

2013 Patras, Grecce. Mahdi Mohseni, 17, wears his chest after he mourns for the Day of Ashura. He has slashed his chest with chains with knives and his chest has open scars now. He won’t go to the doctor though because he’s an undocumented refugee that is trying to get to Italy. The Day of Ashura is being celebrated by a group of young Afghan men, most of whom are underaged. The men are in Patras, the port-city in Western Greece, in their attempt to escape to Italy, as there are daily boats to Italy from Patras. The Day of Ashura is on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Mourning of Muharram. It is commemorated by Shi’a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH. In some Shi’a regions of Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Pakistan, the Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become a national holiday and most ethnic and religious communities participate in it

2012. Patras. Greece. A young Afghan taking water to the abandoned bathing house where he lives with other young illegal Afghan immigrants. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships which dock in the port and which are then sent to Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

2012. Patras. Greece. A 17-year old from Afghanistan lives with about ten fellow Afghans between 14 and 18 years of age in an abandoned bathing house in Patras.  “We came to Patras because we want to leave Greece,” S. , a 17-year old Afghan, tells me. Every day, S. and his friends try to illegally get onto trucks that board boats for Italy. “I managed to get to Italy once, but the police found me in Ancona and sent me back… I was not allowed to speak with anyone who understood me!”. He says to me, “Now I travel with a razor blade, so that the next time I get there, I’ll cut my face and they will have to take me to hospital. Right?”. S. has been in Greece for more than six months and does not have the faintest idea of what ‘political refugee’ means.

2012. Patras. Greece. Afghan boys throwing stones into the sea. They are waiting for evening, when they will try to sneak into the port, where they hope to illegally board a ship bound for Italy. Patras is one of the main escape points from Greece, due to the numerous cargo ships that dock in the port and are bound for Italy. It is therefore one of the points where it is possible to attempt to escape from Greece.

Bio

Alessandro Penso studied clinical psychology at Rome’s La Sapienza University. In 2007, he received a scholarship to study photojournalism at the “Scuola Romana di Fotografia”. Since completing his studies, his work has won several awards, including the PDN Photo Student Award, the PDN Photo Annual Award, Px3, the Project Launch Award in Santa Fe 2011, and the Terry O’ Neill TAG Award 2012, Sofa Global Award 2013, 1st General News of World press Photo and Magnum Foundation Emergency Found. Alessandro is deeply committed to social issues, and in recent years he has been focusing on the issue of immigration in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean countries are providing an outlet for the phenomena of cultural closure, xenophobia and violence, which represent, for migrants, an insurmountable obstacle to their enjoyment of even the most basic human rights.

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Alessandro Penso