Refugees on the Road to Europe: 'I Want My Children Safe, Wherever It May Be'

Photos: Hikmet Adal / bianet

Click to read the article in Turkish

After Turkey announced on Friday (February 27) that it will no longer try to stop refugees from reaching Europe, thousands of refugees are heading to border and coastal provinces to cross into Greece.

Buses taking off from İstanbul's Zeytinburnu district bring refugees to the northwestern border province of Edirne every day. Refugees gather in the area between Zeytinburnu Marmaray Station and Zeytinburnu Security Directorate and wait for buses.

A bus driver, Orhan B., tells bianet that "We take the refugees gathering here and bring them to the border. Then heading back to İstanbul and going to Edirne again."

'I want to go to Germany'

Fershad Daveri, a refugee from Afghanistan, says that those who went to Edirne on Friday morning did not pay and that refugee associations lead the way for refugees who want to leave Turkey.

"It has been five years since [I] came to Turkey. We received a message that borders have been opened. We have lived here for five years and nothing happened. So we said, 'We should go'," he says.

"Associations arranged buses in the morning, they brought [the people] to the border for free. But now, they request 150 lira [1 US dollar = 6.23 Turkish lira] from us. We don't know where they will drop us. Drivers said they will drive us as far as the border, to the gate.

"After that, we would be given directions. They said, 'There is gendarmerie. They tell [the directions]. I want to go to Germany. I have relatives there."

'I left my job to go'

Abdullah Safi (22), another refugee from Afghanistan, says that he came to Turkey six-and-a-half years ago through Iran.

"I have been wanting to go to Europe since I came here but I didn't have the money. Salaries are low here, it's difficult to live. Collecting money takes time.

"There is a group of the consulate. The employees texted there in the morning, saying, 'The state opened the borders. Those who want to go will go, those who stay will stay.

"I was a baker here. My salary was between 700 and 800 lira a week. We saw everything has become free, the state has opened the borders, and we came. Everyone informed one another. We even left our jobs. Our money is left in the places we worked at.

"Since I came, I see both good and bad ones. They didn't give me my money, they were unfair to me many times. Now my 1,800 lira is left inside. Not just me, everyone is similar. The money of my friends who have gone is left. Everyone thinks, 'I should just go.' We didn't even take belongings with us, just a small bag and money. I left everything. I should just go.

"While Syrians who are my friends were granted citizenship, we were not. We are having a lot of trouble. Now I want to go to France or Germany. Once we cross the border, we will look at what's next.

'They told us it was free'

Muhammedi Asker, who came from Iran four years ago, has also left his job to go to Europe:

"There are no jobs left in Turkey that I didn't do. I was forbidden to work in Iran, it was difficult. The state was causing us problems. I came to Turkey. Now I'm leaving my job and going to Europe. I will go to Germany and then to England.

"The borders were closed until now but now the state let it free. We just want a better life. They told us it was free but now drivers take money from us. They want 150 lira per person. They will drive us to Edirne."

'I want my children safe'

Muhammad and Şerife Özbek, a married couple with two children who came to Turkey about one year ago, say that they had a lot of trouble, couldn't find a job and could not benefit from the hospitals in Turkey.

"With the children, we came as four people. My life was in danger in Afghanistan. My wife's family wanted to kill me. First, I went to Saudi Arabia, but they extradited me. Then I went to Iran, then came to Turkey. As soon as we came, we applied for asylum but our identities have not been issued for one-and-a-half years.

"In this period, I got ill in my foot. I went to a hospital but they didn't treat me because I didn't have an identity. My children got ill, they didn't examine [them].

"I didn't go to school. I have two children, I want them to go to school. I want nothing in this world but them to be comfortable. I will go when the road is opened. No matter where it is, I want my children to be safe."

'If I can't cross the border, I will look for a job in İstanbul'

"Sebghatullah Amani (21) from Afghanistan says he has been living in İstanbul for about three years.

"I am from Afghanistan. I came through Iran. I have been in İstanbul for about three years. Now they said, 'The border is open.' When the news came, I took to the road. Greece, Germany, I will go whenever I go.

"We left Afghanistan because there is wat, there is trouble. I found comfort here but now I will have a better life in Germany. Because everything is troublesome here. There are no jobs, they want insurance, they don't hire me because I don't have an identity.

"If I can't cross the border, I will return to İstanbul and look for a job. I have been unemployed for a few months anyway. I was working as a bus person at a restaurant in Çağlayan. So nothing will change in my life." (HA/VK)