Doha-based news agency Al Jazeera focuses on the lives of female refugees and documents their plight as they embark upon the perilous crossing from Turkey to Greece. One of the case studies is that of Samira who traveled from Ahir, Morocco, to Lesbos. Once on the Greek shore her relief turned to angst as she discovered that the savings she had gathered from her family were missing from the bag she had kept strapped to her back. Confronting the Moroccan men she thought responsible was a mistake as they turned aggressive.

The reportage states that the UNHCR has stated that women traveling alone, like Samira, are at heightened risk of abuse on their journey through Europe and in cramped reception centers. The Moria camp on Lesbos is where Samira spent her first night crouched to the ground. “Cases of sexual violence have been reported to our staff,” says Ron Redmond, a spokesperson for the UN agency in Greece speaking to Al Jazeera. “On one of the islands, our protection staff prevented the rape of a young woman by a large group of men.”

The Save the Children organization issued a report detailing cases of attempted sexual abuse, such as that of a young girl grabbed by a young man as she went to the toilet. Stories such as this are commonplace as women and children tell the organization that they feel discomfort at sleeping in tents with strange men.

Eva Cossé, a researcher on Greece with Human Rights Watch, says the situation has improved, but only because the numbers of women and children have dropped by 2,000 per day especially in light of the cold weather and recent EU deal with Turkey. This has made it easier for Greek authorities to cope.

Other testimonies collected by the UNHCR says that those who have run out of money or have been robbed are more likely to engage in “survival sex” to pay off  smugglers.

Among the most vulnerable, reports Al jazeera, are the unaccompanied minors, estimated at 7,000 but it could be higher. 50% of unaccompanied minors go missing within 48 hours of arrival and the majority are never found. Furthermore, minors are less likely to ask for help and feel the need to move fast. Children often lie about their age.

Kostas Yannopoulos, president of the Greek NGO Smile of the Child, worries that children split from or abandoned by their families end up being trafficked.