Reuters
［東京 １６日 ロイター］ - 日本で難民申請をした外国人は１０月末時点で６１６０人に上り、５年連続で過去最多を更新したことが分かった。法務省によると、昨年の申請者数は５０００人だったが今年はすでにそれを大幅に上回っている。ビザの発行要件緩和や労働力不足を受け、日本に来る外国人が増えているという。
法務省では、増加の背景として、難民申請中は強制送還されないことや、申請の半年後から働けるように２０１０年に制度の運用を変えたことがあると分析している。
国籍別では、昨年はネパール、トルコ、スリランカ、ミャンマーの順に多かった。今年もこの傾向に大きな変化はないという。
難民支援協会の石川えり代表理事は、難民申請者が増えている背景として、ビザの発行要件が緩和されたため「日本に来るハードルが低くなっている」と述べた。
日本に来る外国人全体の数も増加を続けている。日本政府観光局が１６日発表した１１月の訪日外国人数は、前年比４１．０％増の１６４万７６００人で、１１月としての過去最高を更新した。為替円安の継続で割安となった日本製品の買い物需要が拡大しているという。１―１１月の累計では、過去最高だった２０１４年の１３４１万人をすでに上回り、前年比４７．５％増の１７６９万４４００人となった。
シリア難民の2015年秋
Mideast Lebanon Syrian Refugees(01 of39)
A Syrian refugee boys play at a refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The United Nations said Tuesday the worsening conflict in Syria has left 13.5 million people in need of aid and some form of protection, including more than six million children. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Lebanon Syrian Refugees(02 of39)
Syrian refugee boys play at a refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The United Nations said Tuesday the worsening conflict in Syria has left 13.5 million people in need of aid and some form of protection, including more than six million children. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(03 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: Migrants warm themselves around a fire next to the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(04 of39)
SIKAMINIAS, GREECE - NOVEMBER 13: A child is carried ashore as migrants arrive in a dinghy after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 13, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(05 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant shelter lies abandoned by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(06 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: Migrants queue for food at a snack van outside the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Mideast Syria Russia Civilian Casualties(07 of39)
In this picture taken on Friday Oct. 23, 2015, Syrian refugee Hind Salem, 31, who fled with her family from the central Syrian town of Palmyra, from Russian airstrikes, sits on the ground with her daughter Yara, 3, at their unfurnished home, in the Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. Activists say most Russian strikes have targeted Syrian rebels not connected to IS, including U.S.-backed factions, with the aim of weakening them and tipping the conflict in favor of Moscowâs ally, President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria Russia Civilian Casualties(08 of39)
In this picture taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Syrian refugee Hind Salem, 31, who fled with her family from the central Syrian town of Palmyra, from Russian airstrikes, sits on the ground with her kids at their unfurnished home, in the Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. \"We had no intention to leave our country at all. But the Russian airstrikes made us leave,\" she said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria Russia Civilian Casualties(09 of39)
In this picture taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, a Syrian refugee boy Ahmad Abdullah, 7, center, who fled with his family from the central Syrian town of Palmyra from the Russian airstrikes, plays next to his father and sister, right, at their unfurnished home, in the Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. Activists say most Russian strikes have targeted Syrian rebels not connected to IS, including U.S.-backed factions, with the aim of weakening them and tipping the conflict in favor of Moscowâs ally, President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria Russia Civilian Casualties(10 of39)
In this picture taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Syrian refugee Anwar Ahmad Abdullah, 42, who fled from the central Syrian town of Palmyra from the Russian airstrikes, holds his daughter Yara, 3, as he sits next to his wife Hind, left, during an interview with The Associated Press at their unfurnished home, in the Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. \"We had no intention to leave our country at all. But the Russian airstrikes made us leave Syria,\" Abdullah\'s wife, Hind, said as her 10-month-old son Abdul-Muneim slept in her lap. She said Russian bombing was more intense and destructive than government strikes. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Lebanon Syria(11 of39)
A Syrian refugee student poses for a picture as she participates in a lesson during the visit of the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, to their school in Taanayel, in the eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The European Commission will give 62 million Euro in humanitarian aid to support Syrians displaced by the conflict inside the war-torn country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria Russia Civilian Casualties(12 of39)
In this picture taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Syrian refugee Anwar Ahmad Abdullah, 42, holds his son Abdul-Muneim, 10 months, at their unfurnished home, in the Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. Abdullah fled with his family from the central Syrian town of Palmyra, which was captured over the summer by the Islamic State group and has been targeted in the Russian campaign. They fled to the Islamic State groupâs de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqqa. There, a school where they were staying was hit in a strike, so they fled again, making their way to Turkey. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Lebanon Syria(13 of39)
Syrian refugees students participate in a lesson during the visit of the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, to their school in Taanayel, in the eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The European Commission will give 62 million Euro in humanitarian aid to support Syrians displaced by the conflict inside the war-torn country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Lebanon Syria(14 of39)
Syrian refugees students hide their faces as they participate in a lesson during the visit of the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, to their school in Taanayel, in the eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The European Commission will give 62 million Euro in humanitarian aid to support Syrians displaced by the conflict inside the war-torn country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Lebanon Syria(15 of39)
A Syrian refugee student poses for a picture as he participates in a lesson during the visit of the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, to their school in Taanayel, in the eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The European Commission will give 62 million Euro in humanitarian aid to support Syrians displaced by the conflict inside the war-torn country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(16 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant looks through a fence at the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Slovenia Migrants(17 of39)
Migrants sit around a fire as they wait to be allowed to enter Austrian territory at the Slovenian Austrian border in Sentilj, Slovenia, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Austria\'s president says his country doesn\'t want \"new borders\" erected inside the European Union in order to control the influx of refugees fleeing war in Syria. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(18 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant looks through a fence at the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(19 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant sleeps on a path next to the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(20 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant looks through a fence at the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(21 of39)
MITHYMNA, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A stricken vessel used by migrants to cross from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos sits in the sea off Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mithymna, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(22 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: A migrant from Pakistan sits in his makeshift tent in a camp by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(23 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: Migrants wait in a camp by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(24 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 16: Migrants cook food in a camp by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(25 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: A migrant carries wood for a fire outside the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(26 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: Migrants warm themselves around a fire in a camp next to the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(27 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: A migrant sits in his tent in a camp by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(28 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: A Greek police officer shouts at migrants to join a queue at the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Mideast Lebanon Syrian Refugees(29 of39)
A Syrian refugee boy poses for a picture as he plays with others at a refugee camp in the town of Hosh Hareem, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The United Nations said Tuesday the worsening conflict in Syria has left 13.5 million people in need of aid and some form of protection, including more than six million children. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(30 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: Migrants queue at the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(31 of39)
MYTILENE, GREECE - NOVEMBER 15: A migrant rests in a camp by the Moria processing centre on the island of Lesbos on November 15, 2015 in Mytilene, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)
Greece Migrants(32 of39)
Refugees from Syria and Iraq disembark on the Greek island of Lesbos after arriving with around 120 other refugees on a wooden boat from the Turkish coast, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. Greeceâs government says it is preparing a rent-assistance program to cope with a growing number of refugees, who face the oncoming winter and mounting resistance in Europe. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria Russia(33 of39)
In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Children stand at a refugee camp in Latakia, Syria. Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad\'s Alawite minority, offers the Russian military a safe environment â and a warm welcome from people blaring car horns and chanting \"thanks\" in Russian. At a refugee camp in Latakia, which houses several thousand mostly Alawite refugees from other provinces of Syria, smiling kids shouted: \"Thank you, Putin!\" (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria Russia(34 of39)
In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Children serve drinks at a refugee camp in Latakia, Syria. Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad\'s Alawite minority, offers the Russian military a safe environment â and a warm welcome from people blaring car horns and chanting \"thanks\" in Russian. At a refugee camp in Latakia, which houses several thousand mostly Alawite refugees from other provinces of Syria, smiling kids shouted: \"Thank you, Putin!\" (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria Russia(35 of39)
In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Refugees stand at a camp in Latakia, Syria. Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad\'s Alawite minority, offers the Russian military a safe environment â and a warm welcome from people blaring car horns and chanting \"thanks\" in Russian. At a refugee camp in Latakia, which houses several thousand mostly Alawite refugees from other provinces of Syria, smiling kids shouted: \"Thank you, Putin!\" (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria Russia(36 of39)
In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, A girl stands at a refugee camp in Latakia, Syria. Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad\'s Alawite minority, offers the Russian military a safe environment â and a warm welcome from people blaring car horns and chanting \"thanks\" in Russian. At a refugee camp in Latakia, which houses several thousand mostly Alawite refugees from other provinces of Syria, smiling kids shouted: \"Thank you, Putin!\" (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria Russia(37 of39)
In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Refugees stand at a camp in Latakia, Syria. Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Assad\'s Alawite minority, offers the Russian military a safe environment â and a warm welcome from people blaring car horns and chanting \"thanks\" in Russian. At a refugee camp in Latakia, which houses several thousand mostly Alawite refugees from other provinces of Syria, smiling kids shouted: \"Thank you, Putin!\" (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Exhausted Migrants Photo Gallery(38 of39)
In this Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 photo, a Syrian refugee boy sleeps on a roadside next to his mother, after arriving on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. Tens of thousands of people trying to escape conflict and poverty in places like Syria and Afghanistan have been making their way across Europe this summer and fall, embarking on grueling journeys that typically start with a short boat trip from Turkey to Greece, then continue north and west on foot and by bus and train. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Migrants On Greece's Lesbos Island(39 of39)
SIKAMINIAS, GREECE - NOVEMBER 13: A migrant holds his child as he talks on the phone after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 13, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece. Rafts and boats continue to make the journey from Turkey to Lesbos each day as thousands flee conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. Over 500,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year and approximately four-fifths of those have paid to be smuggled by sea to Greece from Turkey, the main transit route into the EU. Most of those entering Greece on a boat from Turkey are from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) (credit:Carl Court via Getty Images)