"All the women interviewed for the Amnesty report said that they felt unsafe and threatened during the various stages of their journey. Women are at greater risk of becoming victims of violence, robbery and extortion... There is also the threat of rape and sexual assault by smugglers, security guards, policemen and fellow refugees. Some smugglers try to coerce the women into having sex with them in exchange for a shorter waiting time or a lower price for the crossing."

Alongside first-hand accounts by female refugees, the article describes some of the particular struggles women face, in addition to those experienced by their male counterparts. Women are expected to care for their children along the difficult sea and land routes from Syria to Europe.

Many refugee facilities don't have separate bathroom facilities for each gender, and the risk of sexual assault runs high. Some women have taken to sleeping outside of the camps, without any shelter, if its seems safer than risking sleeping in close proximity strange men. Others avoid eating and drinking.

Fears of social and physical retribution circulate around reporting a sexual assault and prevent many women from speaking out about their experiences. Additionally, refugee centers tend to lack health care facilities that cater to women.

For more on the on-going refugee crisis produced by the Syrian civil war, check out these links:

• Sweden plans mass expulsion of up to 80,000 refugees
• Ai Weiwei documents life in Greek refugee camp on social media
• The vast majority of Syrian refugees are seeking refuge in cities, not camps
• A world divided: mapping border fences globally
• What Does the Syrian Refugee Crisis Mean to Architecture?