This Syrian child and his mother await to be allowed to board the ferry to Athens in the port of Mitilini, Lesvos. According to statistics, more than 75% of Syrian refuges are women and children.
Just off the boat, this boy is stripped off his wet clothes and given dry ones and a new diaper by a volunteer.
Children are the most vulnerable of travellers. There are no statistics about child mortality among refugees as they travel to Europe. The two above are among the lucky ones who made it safely to Europe. Others are not so lucky. When boats capsize, they are the first to die. The coast of eastern Lesvos is littered with thousands and thousands of discarded life vests. If those of adults are fake and stuffed with sponge-like material, those worn by kids are pathetic pieces of cheap plastic, originally intended as toys. Many carry infact warnings in English, such as "doesn't prevent drowning" and "not for boating".