Photo Essays

Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) has been coming to the aid of sub-Saharan refugees trying to reach Europe from Libya by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Karlos Zurutuza witnessed seven rescues of nearly 1,000 people on board the "Dignity 1"

Between 1965 and 1966 millions of (alleged) Communists were hunted down, tortured and killed in Indonesia. The photographer Anne-Cecile Esteve met survivors for the organisation "Asia Rights and Justice". By Monika Griebeler

Iran is a country of many peoples with countless different tribes. Although weddings in the cities increasingly resemble those celebrated in the West, in some areas of Iran, people still get married according to their own centuries-old traditions

Around the world some 1.5 billion Muslims are currently celebrating Islam's principal annual festival: Eid-ul-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. The festival lasts for four days, during which time Muslims traditionally greet each other with the words "Eid Mubarak" or "Blessed holidays!"

Never before have so many boys and girls been fleeing war and poverty. In camps in Asia and Africa, or on the risky journey to Europe, more than 20 million children are hoping for a better future. By Andreas Gorzewski

The distance from Syria to Germany is approximately 3,700 kilometres. For refugees fleeing the civil war the journey can take weeks, if not months. And it′s not for the faint-hearted. Even if one takes the route through the West Balkans.

When it comes to refugees, the focus of Western media in recent months has been on the desperate people trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe and those trying to cross the Indian Ocean to reach Indonesia and Malaysia. However, refugees from Yemen are also taking on the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to reach the Republic of Djibouti, one of the world's poorest countries. Qantara.de presents impressions of Markazi refugee camp in Djibouti. All photos by Andreas Stahl

Many people associate Afghan women with the burqa, the garment that covers a woman's entire face, head and body and is worn in a number of Islamic countries. This is not surprising considering that under Taliban rule – a period that received extensive coverage in Western media – women were required to wear a burqa outside the home. But it wasn't always like this. The German press agency (dpa) recently released a series of historical photos showing Afghan women in Western-style clothes and without veils or headscarves. Qantara.de presents a selection of these photos

Calais has become a magnet for refugees trying to reach the UK. The reason for this is that the entrance to the Channel Tunnel (Eurotunnel) is situated there. Because migrants cannot simply board one of the many ferries crossing the channel, crossing illegally via the tunnel seems like a viable alternative. In recent weeks, the situation has escalated and become both dangerous and very difficult to manage

According to a WHO report from December 2014, more than one million Syrians have been wounded in the Syrian civil war since the spring of 2011. Some 45 per cent of the injured are children and women; about 10–15 per cent have suffered amputations or disabilities. Daily shelling is the main cause of their injuries. From spring 2014 to early 2015, photographer Kai Wiedenhofer travelled through towns, villages and refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, taking pictures of those left scarred by the conflict. He says that by showing the genuine aftermath of this conflict and photographing its victims in a dignified manner, his intention was to raise support for people who are really in need and whose sufferings do not end with the war. "In all my time as a photographer," he says, "I have never witnessed such grave atrocities." All photos in this gallery are by Kai Wiedenhofer