PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARIO MITIDIERI/CAFOD; COURTESY OF ONE GIRL;
GETTY IMAGES. *WORLD VISION **WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION78 marieclaire.com.au
In the middle of a dusty refugee
camp in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley,
Razir’s three children sit, barefoot,
with their hands on their knees. Next
to them are three empty chairs,
which represent the family members
they’ve lost since fleeing Syria.
“My husband was kidnapped and
executed. I had to leave my two oldest
daughters behind. I haven’t heard from
them,” says Razir, who is one of the
4.8 million Syrian refugees who has
fled the war-torn country, and one of
the subjects in the “Lost Family
Portraits” series shot by Italian
photographer Dario Mitidieri.
Mitidieri’s aim was to raise
awareness about the devastating
affect war has on families. “Despite
their terrible traumas and fear of
repercussions, many families came
forward and agreed to take part in
this project,” he says. “They explained
to us that they don’t want to be
forgotten. They want everybody to
know what happened to them.”
The harrowing stories and
photographs are hard to forget. In
one, a father reveals he was forced to
leave his four sons behind. “I was
getting WhatsApp messages from
them, but then one day the messages
stopped,” he says. In another, a mother
says, “During a night air strike, I
managed to escape with three of my
children. The other six did not.”
For more, visit mitidieri.com.A poignant portrait series
illustrates the very real
cost of the Syrian warPORTFOLIOLOV ED
ONES
LOST
MC FACT Since the Syrian civil war began, 470,000 people have been killed, including 55,000 children.*“My wife was inside
when our house
was shelled”- Mahmoud (right),
with his three daughters
Clockwise from main:
Razir’s family; Kalila’s
family; Mahmoud’s family;
Mohammed’s family; Souraya’s
family; and Ali, who left behind
his mother, father, brother and
two sisters after a bombing.