In 2015 humanity faced the largest migration crisis since the
Second World War. The vast majority of refugees and migrants
flowing into Europe came from Middle Eastern and Central Asian
countries torn apart by war such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many of them took their chances aboard unseaworthy boats and
dinghies in their desperate attempt to reach Europe by sea in the
hope of finding a better life. Oftentimes they have to travel by
night to avoid border police from spotting them. Thousands have
died during the perilous sea crossings. According to an IOM
report, more than a million migrants and refugees have entered
Europe in 2015 alone sparking a crisis as countries struggled to
cope with the influx. On March 2016, leaders of the European
Union came to an agreement to close the Balkan migration routes
triggering several countries along it to fully clamp down their
borders.
Award-winning Indonesian photographer Kemal Jufri's career started in 1996 when he joined Agence-France Presse (AFP). He left AFP two years later and worked as a photo contributor for Asiaweek until the magazine closed down in 2001. Since then he has worked as a freelance photographer across Asia for major publications, including Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times, STERN and Der Spiegel. His photographs of the Mount Merapi eruptions in Central Java at the end of 2010 won him a total of seven awards from five prestigious International Photojournalism competitions including the World Press Photo, Picture of The Year International, NPPA Best of Photojournalism, China International Press Photo Contest and Prix De La Photographie Paris (PX3).
