| country information | |
|---|---|
| Capital | Amsterdam |
| Population | 16.75 million |
| Area | 37,354km2 |
| Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR in Netherlands | |
| Total refugees and people in refugee-like Situations | 82,494 |
| Asylum-seekers (pending cases) | 6,940 |
| Persons under UNHCR's statelessness mandate | 1,951 |
| Total population of concern | 91,385 |
Source: UNHCR Global Trends 2014/UN DATE
The participants in the 19th EYE SEE Workshop were 24 children of asylum-seekers who had escaped from countries like Syria, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Russia, now living in the province of Limburg in the southern part of the Netherlands.
There are said to be over 60,000,000 people in the world today, such as refugees, who have been driven out of their homes and countries, and the number of those fleeing disaster areas is growing at the rate of several thousand per day. These people lost their homes due to wars or persecution, and previously children too were going to school, playing with their friends, and enjoying time with their families. The children did not choose to be refugees, but because they suddenly had their living environment taken away from them, they had no choice but to cross the seas to find a safe place.
"I want to keep a photographic diary every day for my family when I get back together with them" "I take pictures of buildings in the Netherlands because I want to be architects when I go home to my country", said Mohammed Bko, 15 years old, participated the workshop.
In the 5-day workshop, the children take pictures of their daily life and play in the asylum-seeker center where they are living, from their own viewpoint. As many of them were separated from their families, another theme was self-portraits taken together with the people they are living with, which they sent to their family and friends as an expression of their love and sincerity.
One of the participant said, "I like these self-portraits because all my brothers are together"
The children's works show their insecurity and hope for the future.
(Implementation of the workshop : 2015)
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