A mother unites with her son, after 14 years apart
A mother unites with her son, after 14 years apart
Safiya*, an Eritrean mother, is reunited with her son Hassan* after 14 years of separation, through UNHCR’s support in Egypt.
Safiya* is an Eritrean mother of two who sought refuge in Egypt after being threatened by her husband's family.
Safiya had been in an abusive relationship and after years of agony, she reported her husband to the authorities in 2010, and he was subsequently detained. Sadly, her in-laws took away her children Hassan* and Mostafa* as a consequence. Hassan, her youngest, was only one year old at the time.
Safiya searched for her children for six agonizing years in Eritrea. She struggled to support herself and knew her in-laws would eventually harm her, but the pain of being away from her children was unbearable.
“For years, I did not know where my children were,” Safiya recalls. “Every day, I wondered if they were safe, if they were eating, if they even remembered me.”
“A mother cannot forget her children. I knew we’d find each other one day, my heart knew.”
A relative of Safiya came to know the whereabouts of her children and Safiya was finally able to contact her eldest son Mostafa. She was relieved to hear his voice after all these years of estrangement. But her relief was short-lived as her in-laws prohibited her son from speaking to her again.
Hassan knew of his mother’s attempts to reach him, and he was desperate to reunite after having grown up facing abuse and neglect. “I felt like I had nothing where I was,” Hassan says. “When I heard my mother was in Egypt, I knew I had to find her. I didn’t care how long it would take.”
With courage beyond his years, Hassan made a life-changing decision. He left his father’s home and traveled to Egypt in search of her. Upon arrival, Hassan approached UNHCR to register as an asylum seeker. He shared his story, praying that he may be reunited with his mother.
Through UNHCR’s registration and protection processes, both Safiya and Hassan were interviewed to document their separation and support their reunification.
Hassan was reunited with Safiya after 14 years apart, but the reunion was bittersweet as Mostafa, her firstborn and eldest, remains in Eritrea.
“I could not believe it when I saw him,” Safiya says. “After all these years, my son was standing in front of me. It felt like life was given back to me.”
“I don’t remember her from when I was small,” Hassan reflects, “but when I saw her, I felt it—this is my mother. Now I have someone again.”
Today, with the support of UNHCR, they are starting to rebuild their lives together.
Their story is a powerful reminder that even after years of separation, the bonds of family endure, and with protection and support, reunification is possible.
With thanks to the European Union’s contributions through interventions under the Joint UN programme, within the framework of the Joint Platform for Migrants and Refugees, UNHCR supports family reunification by identifying separated family members during registration and screening, documenting their cases, and facilitating safe reconnection. Through its protection processes, UNHCR helps verify family links and, in cases like Hassan and Safiya’s, enables reunions while ensuring families receive ongoing support to rebuild their lives after separation.
*Names of the mother and son have been changed to protect their identity and privacy.
