Waiting Women

Look at this powerful image. Look into the face of the girl. I feel like she is looking at me. She is beautiful, but weary, somber, and sad. Look at the woman on the left, lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the ground. I can see her pain, worry, and emptiness. Look at the photographs they are holding. Who are these men?

This is another of Sebastião Salgado’s photographs from his book “Migrations”. It was taken in the village Beharke, in 1997, Iraqi Kurdistan. Sebastião explains that many villages in this region were destroyed by Sadam Hussein’s troops, forcing the people to move. On the night of July 31, 1983, Iraqi soldiers arrived suddenly and took away all the men in every family (Salgado). They have not been seen again. These are some of the women that were left behind, forever unsure where their husbands, sons, and brothers are, or if they are alive. These women cannot remarry, according to Muslim law, so they are “left waiting for either the return of the disappeared men or confirmation of their death” (Salgado).

This photograph makes me think of all the women and children in the refugee crisis today. For multiple reasons, most of the migrants and refugees entering Europe are men. The journey is dangerous and men are generally stronger and better able to handle the risky trip than women and children (Strindberg). It is also easier for one man to get past border controls and make preparations for his family to join him later, than it is for a whole family to travel at once. The trip is also extremely dangerous for women traveling alone because of the risks of sexual abuse and exploitation.

Therefore, many women and children are left behind, left waiting for their men. What must it be like wondering if your husband or brother has made it safely, wondering where they are now, when you will hear from them next, and when, or if, you will join them?

Works Cited

Salgado, Sebastiao. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. 98. Photograph. New York:

Aperture Foundation, Inc., 2000. 25. Print.

Strindberg, Anna. "Five Reasons Why the Majority of Refugees Reaching Europe Are

Men." Global Citizen. Global Poverty Project, 19 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

<https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/five-explanations-to-why-the-majority-of-refugees/>.

Escaping Between the Wagons

Sebastião Salgado created a book, “Migrations”, compiled of his photographs of people on the move. I was looking through this book and turned the page to the picture below. I immediately stopped. Those are real people and that is a moving train! It is hard for me to imagine wanting to leave somewhere so badly, or get somewhere else so badly, to ride a train in such a dangerous way.

This is a photograph of illegal migrants on a train to northern Mexico. Sebastião explains that this is a favorite hiding place of migrants but also the most dangerous. They are able to hop on and off when the train is stopped by immigration authorities, rarely seen and arrested. But if they get off and miss the train leaving again, they must walk many miles to the nearest station in the hope of catching the next northbound train (Salgado).

In addition to grain, corn or scrap metal, the freight trains that run the length of Mexico are carrying an increasing number of undocumented immigrants whose aim is to cross into the U.S. (Syre). These aren't passenger trains; there are no panoramic windows, seats or even a roof to guard from sun or rain. People, therefore, ride between or on top of wagons. They call the train La Bestia, or The Beast. Some call it the Death Train (Syre). It's estimated that up to a half-million migrants now ride The Beast each year and the journey can take anywhere from a week to several months (Syre).

Sebastião describes the many dangers of travelling this way: “besides being tipped off the train by sudden braking, tiny fragments of metal thrown up by the friction of the wheels on the track can cause serious eye injuries. The hot air circulating between the wagons also quickly brings on dehydration” (Salgado).

According to photojournalist Keith Dannemiller,

“A lot of the people are not fleeing because of economic hardship. A lot of them are fleeing because the increase in the drug violence and threats, extortion, and that's a different phenomenon. Before, you could call these people migrants with no problem. I think now, the term refugee might be a little bit more apropos for who these people are and what they're going through” (Syre).

These people know the dangers of making this risky journey, but they make it anyway. They are willing to die.

It makes me wonder, how would I feel making that journey? Just reading about other people’s experiences makes me afraid. What do people think about while they’re sitting on the train? I imagine they are scared but also full of hope. Is their journey worth it in the end?

Works Cited

Salgado, Sebastiao. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. 98. Photograph. New York:

Aperture Foundation, Inc., 2000. 25. Print.

Syre, Wilson. "Riding 'The Beast' Across Mexico To The U.S. Border." NPR. NPR, 5 June

2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.

<http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/06/05/318905712/riding-the-beast-

across-mexico-to-the-u-s-border>.