'Where the Children Sleep': U.S. premier of acclaimed photo exhibit on refugee children

As the war in Syria hits the five-year mark, captivating photos of sleeping refugee children by acclaimed Swedish photographer Magnus Wennman go on display at the Capitol March 14 in the U.S. debut of the exhibit ‘Where the Children Sleep’.

“Children are our future. No one can see these images of children of war sleeping peacefully after being forced to flee their homes without being deeply moved,” said Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR representative for the United States and the Caribbean. “They are our children.”

The exhibit, which features photographs of refugee children asleep in locations around the Middle East and Europe, will be on display in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill through March 18 and will be shown later at other U.S. locations.

“In the years passing since the beginning of the crisis, refugees are becoming more vulnerable. They need all of the support that we can get them,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.

The exhibit coincides with the fifth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives, left over 11 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and forced almost five million refugees to flee the country. Half of those uprooted are children.

Wennman’s photos, many of which have been published in media around the world, offer a rare and personal glimpse into the living conditions of the most vulnerable within the refugee population – children.

UNHCR, in collaboration with Fotografiska - The Swedish Museum of Photography, has brought ‘Where the Children Sleep’ to audiences in the United States for the first time in order to raise awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees.

The exhibit will be open to the public during opening hours of the Russell Senate Office Building located at 2 Constitution Ave, Washington, DC.

For more information, please contact:

Lilli Tnaib in Washington, +1 202 243 7619, [email protected]