photo essay: where the children sleep


SWEDISH PHOTOJOURNALIST MAGNUS WENNMAN HAD JUST ARRIVED IN BEIRUT, LEBANON WHEN HE MET A REFUGEE FAMILY—TWO LITTLE GIRLS AND THEIR FATHER LIVING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.


“They told us that their home in Damascus had been hit by a grenade. The grenade had killed their mother and


their brother,” Wennman


recalled. “Now they sleep on a piece of cardboard right next to the road, waiting for cars to stop and throw them some food. Their father told us that every time a car stopped he was afraid that someone would take the kids away from him. He told us that every now and then men in cars asked if they could buy the girls for a few hours.”


UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that 2.5


million children


have been forced from their homes by the war in Syria. Among them, stories like that of Ralia and Rahaf are sadly common. These children have fled the violence and terror that have become so synonymous with their country. The Syrian conflict is now in its sixth year with no end in sight, and one-in-three Syrian refugee children have never known anything but war and flight.


Wennman, a two-time winner of World Press Photo Award, decided


the to raise awareness about the tragic


consequences of the crisis by photographing what bedtime brings for the youngest and most vulnerable refugees.


“I came up with this idea that I wanted to document where the refugee children sleep,” said Wennman. “No matter how hard this conflict may be to understand, it’s not hard to understand that children need a safe place to sleep.”


In early 2015, Wennman travelled through


seven countries in


Middle East and Europe where he met refugee children who showed him where they lay their heads at night. The result is “Where the Children Sleep,” which puts faces, names, and stories to the millions of refugee children who spend the night in camps, in fields, outside closed borders, and on the side of the road now that their lives have been violently uprooted.


The stunning photo exhibition also depicts the devastating impact of the conflict that lasts long after they have escaped their war-torn country.


These photographs and more are featured in Magnus Wennman’s recently


released


the Children Sleep. If you are interested in purchasing this book, please visit cbsd.com or contact orders@raincoastbooks.com.


the


“Many mentioned that they remembered


the sounds of the


bombings. One girl was afraid of resting her head on the pillow because nighttime in Syria was so horrible—that’s when happened,” he recalled.


the attacks


When viewing Wennman’s photos, it is clear that the subjects have been forced to face realities, responsibilities, and experiences that no child should have to endure.


“I’ve covered a lot of different situations and conflicts and disasters, but from my experience, it takes a lot for a child to stop being a child,” said Wennman. “It takes a lot for a child to stop playing and stop laughing, but in some of these cases it felt like these children had to grow up and become adults far too fast.”


“Where the Children Sleep” is a


powerfully simple portrayal of the effect of the Syrian conflict on the lives of children who have lost something that so many of us take for granted—a safe place to sleep at night. Wennman has partnered with UNHCR to display these photos in the United States to raise awareness about refugee children.


book, Where


“I don’t know what happened to Ralia and Rahaf, but I do know that their story has travelled all over the world. I hope these photos help people understand, and perhaps care, to do something to help these victims of the war,” he added.


UNHCR / 27


«


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32