0:00:08 > 0:00:11From the bleeding heart of Syria, a rare insight.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16Footage filmed by a family trapped on the front line.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Sometimes I feel afraid maybe I will die.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Tonight, the women who are desperate to reunite their families and bring
0:00:22 > 0:00:26them to Wales.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28I know I'm coming to here illegal.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29I'm very sorry.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31We don't have...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33another choice.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35This woman is wounded and frail.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Her daughter in Wales fears time is running out.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Just imagine your family like that and just think what would you feel
0:00:43 > 0:00:46if somebody just came and said, "It's not our problem."
0:00:46 > 0:00:48We follow her thousands of miles as she tries
0:00:48 > 0:00:50to rescue them.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53WOMEN SOB
0:00:53 > 0:00:59But will they make it out?
0:01:02 > 0:01:03I'm making this video because my mum
0:01:03 > 0:01:06is trapped in Aleppo, Syria.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I'm trying to get her out of the danger because she's my mum
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and I love her so much, so please, please, please,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14share this video with everybody you know.
0:01:14 > 0:01:21I'm really scared now if she die before I can help her.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24For Abeer Jones and her family in North Wales, life is dominated
0:01:24 > 0:01:27by the news from Syria.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30NEWS REPORTER: On the move again, thousands fleeing Syria's second
0:01:30 > 0:01:36city, Aleppo, the focus of intense fighting...
0:01:36 > 0:01:40But Abeer's family can't just leave for a refugee camp.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Her mother, Hayat, is a widow who's 70 years old and too frail.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Abeer wants a visa to bring Hayat and her two sisters,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49who live with their mother, to Wales.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51When she can get through, she speaks to them online.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Hiya!
0:01:53 > 0:01:58Hi, Mama.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00We're watching the news here and it's really horrible
0:02:00 > 0:02:01with all the refugees trying.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05What do you think?
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Today it's terrible, like you don't know what's going on,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12but we hope to be safe.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18Just try to be strong and positive and we'll talk every day.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Abeer's family live in Aleppo on the front line of a civil war
0:02:23 > 0:02:25that's already claimed half a million lives
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and displaced millions.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31They live in a bomb-damaged apartment block caught
0:02:31 > 0:02:35between Syrian government troops and rebel fighters.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39This was their garden last September, just after a terrifying
0:02:39 > 0:02:43mortar attack in which Hayat was seriously wounded.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46When my sister phoned me to tell me about my mum,
0:02:46 > 0:02:47I went really, really very upset.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I imagined that my mum dead and blood and everything.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Part of the mortar went through her living room.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59She could see just, like, fireworks coming through.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02These photographs show the extent of Hayat's injuries.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04A part of the mortar went inside her belly,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06leaving 15-centimetre hole.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Another part went on her elbow.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14She lost a lot of blood.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I felt inside me I really, I just want to jump on a plane
0:03:17 > 0:03:21or anything, just go and see her, just a little bit, just one minute.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23And play with my toys...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It was too dangerous for Abeer to go to her mother.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30All she and her family could do was wait and hope.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32But what we can do now, just, like, praying for them.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Pray.
0:03:35 > 0:03:41That things aren't in harm.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Abeer moved to North Wales from Syria ten years ago
0:03:43 > 0:03:46after meeting her husband, David.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Time for the pizza!
0:03:49 > 0:03:52They've since had two boys, Danny and Adam, and they all live
0:03:52 > 0:03:57in a world away from Aleppo.
0:03:57 > 0:04:04There, while food is scarce, fear is plentiful.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Abeer's sister Dania used her phone to film a rare glimpse
0:04:07 > 0:04:10of their life on the front line.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12We want to be safe.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16We are all human.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22And we want to be alive, like all people.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28It's very cold and I'm very worried about my mum because it's very cold
0:04:28 > 0:04:34here and we don't have electricity.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39And we feel very frightened.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Hayat stays in bed to keep warm for much of the day,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and because of the war, she can't get the medication
0:04:45 > 0:04:47she needs in Syria.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51She has to buy it in from Egypt.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56The family say Hayat wouldn't survive a refugee camp like this.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02Her daughters won't leave her, so they, too, are trapped.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07This is the water.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13We put it on our chimney to have hot water.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16They have to buy every drop.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The family has struggled without regular water and power
0:05:18 > 0:05:22supplies for six months.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24And constant shelling and the mortar attack have
0:05:24 > 0:05:30left their home badly damaged.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36And this is my mum's room.
0:05:36 > 0:05:46Erm, but, my mum can't sleep here now because it's so dangerous.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52In this war, every generation is affected.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54And this, it's very upsetting, too.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57My niece, she was only two years old.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Last year, Abeer's niece was blinded in one eye when a bomb made
0:06:00 > 0:06:04from a gas canister exploded.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07She was sitting on her mum's knee, trying to escape from
0:06:07 > 0:06:09house-to-house, because they know it's fighting,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13and she just heard it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16She will need further surgery.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Her future, like that of so many other children in Syria,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22remains uncertain.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24She was looking at herself in the mirror and she said
0:06:24 > 0:06:27to her mum, "I'm not beautiful any more," which is very upsetting.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Two years old, you know?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The UK Government has agreed to bring 20,000 Syrian refugees
0:06:35 > 0:06:39to the UK over five years.
0:06:39 > 0:06:411,000 will come to Wales from camps like this in Turkey,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Lebanon and Jordan.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46But charities including Amnesty International
0:06:46 > 0:06:50are campaigning to make it easier for those like Abeer's family,
0:06:50 > 0:06:55trapped inside Syria, to join relatives in the UK.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Unfortunately for Abeer and her mother, getting a visitor
0:06:58 > 0:07:01visa, for instance, coming out of Syria is likely to be extremely
0:07:01 > 0:07:04difficult and certainly our experience is that visas
0:07:04 > 0:07:08are increasingly being refused to Syrians.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10All sorts of visas.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13There will be some people who will see her mother's situation
0:07:13 > 0:07:15as the thin end of the wedge.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Where do you draw the line?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21The choice not just for Europe, but certainly for Europe at this
0:07:21 > 0:07:23time, and for this country, is not, do we want
0:07:23 > 0:07:26to see more refugees?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29That's the reality of the world we live in at this time
0:07:29 > 0:07:31because of conflict that is spreading across parts
0:07:31 > 0:07:32of the world.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The question is, do we want to see refugees in an ordered,
0:07:34 > 0:07:40planned, managed way or do we prefer to see refugees in a chaotic,
0:07:40 > 0:07:47uncoordinated and unsafe way?
0:07:47 > 0:07:50One woman who risked everything to get to Wales
0:07:50 > 0:07:53is Asmaa Al Fashtaki.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55She came to Britain illegally, paying smugglers to take her
0:07:55 > 0:07:59to Europe when she was five months pregnant, a journey which could've
0:07:59 > 0:08:04cost her life and that of her unborn son.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I lost family, I lost friends in the war.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10A lot of babies dead.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11And you saw this?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Yeah.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15We see a lot of people dead.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16People that you know?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Friends that you've lost?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Family, yes.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24I want to give my son a beautiful life.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I see a lot of child died in my eyes.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32I don't like to put my son in this war.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35When we first met Asmaa in Cardiff, she'd had to leave her husband,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Yasin, a policeman, behind in Jordan.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41They fled Syria together but they couldn't afford to pay
0:08:41 > 0:08:43smugglers to get them both here.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45He's waiting for a visa to see his son
0:08:45 > 0:08:47for the first time.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Hello!
0:08:50 > 0:08:53SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Phone calls are all they have at the moment.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I can't wait this moment when he comes and when he sees
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Nabil the first time.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07I can't wait this moment.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Asmaa used to run a nursery in Syria.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13She's learning English but she finds it easier to describe some
0:09:13 > 0:09:16of her journey in Arabic.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38Cramped conditions and winter storms made it even more treacherous.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Like these, Asmaa is one of nearly five million refugees caught up
0:09:41 > 0:09:51in the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57In Asmaa's case, the captain of the ship in which she was being
0:09:57 > 0:09:59smuggled bailed out, leaving the refugees adrift.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05Rescuers airlifted her to hospital in Italy.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Asmaa was alone.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Like these people, she made several attempts to board a lorry in Calais.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Her smuggler got her and five Syrian men onto one carrying engine parts.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29When they arrived in Kent, she turned herself in to the police.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32When I see the policeman, I told him, "Hi, I'm Syrian,
0:10:32 > 0:10:37I'm pregnant, five months, please, help me."
0:10:37 > 0:10:40She went to hospital, then a detention centre,
0:10:40 > 0:10:48before being disbursed to Cardiff, where she gave birth to Nabil.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Because when I born my son, I was alone, I don't
0:10:52 > 0:10:56know anyone here.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59She's now been given refugee status, which means that legally,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02her husband can join her and the baby.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04But his visa could take months.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09Until then, they're alone.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19In Aleppo, people try to carry on with their lives.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22In her apartment, Dania shows us how their day begins,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27in the cold and dark.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32I know maybe the picture, it's not very clear,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37but I don't have another choice because we don't have electricity,
0:11:37 > 0:11:43so every morning, I wake up before half an hour to put some water
0:11:43 > 0:11:49in the oven because the water, it's very cold.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52They can buy only a few hours of power each day,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and when she filmed this, Dania was having to carry water
0:11:54 > 0:11:59to the apartment.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04We put some water here in these to take a shower.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Dania says food now costs ten times more than it did at the start
0:12:08 > 0:12:09of the war.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's risky leaving the apartment.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14She works in a factory but she dreads going in.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18When I go, sometimes I feel afraid.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Sometimes I feel I...
0:12:21 > 0:12:31I will not be coming to my home, maybe I will die.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Dania's updates reinforce just how desperate they are to find a safe,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48legal route out of Aleppo.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Thousands of miles away in North Wales, Abeer
0:12:51 > 0:12:56is determined to get them out, even if only for a few months.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I'm really sick about them, I can't stop worrying.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Theirs is a sad story.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But I wanted to know, what would Abeer have to say
0:13:04 > 0:13:10to those who suggest that Syria is just not our problem?
0:13:10 > 0:13:15I would say, just close your eyes and just imagine your family
0:13:15 > 0:13:18like that, and just think, what would you feel if somebody just
0:13:18 > 0:13:19came and said, "It's not our problem?"
0:13:19 > 0:13:20What do you feel?
0:13:20 > 0:13:21Do you feel the frustration?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Do you feel desperate?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Do you feel you are angry?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28What do you feel?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30They're applying for a visitor visa.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Latest Home Office figures show that only three in ten succeed.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37They'll have to convince officials they will go home after six months
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and they can afford to support themselves
0:13:40 > 0:13:43while they are in Abergele.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I don't want anything from the Government.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I've been here for ten years, I never claimed any penny.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I will give my mum half of my meal, I will give her my bed
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and I will just sleep on the floor.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Visa applications have to be made in person but there's no
0:13:58 > 0:14:01British embassy in Syria.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Hayat, Dania and Reen will have to make a perilous journey
0:14:03 > 0:14:07across the border to apply in neighbouring Lebanon.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Danny, are you coming to help me?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13After three years apart, we're taking Abeer to meet her
0:14:13 > 0:14:17mother and sisters in Beirut.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22It would be the greatest thing ever if my 70-year-old grandma and my two
0:14:22 > 0:14:26aunties could come and stay for a holiday.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32She is taking a letter Adam has written for visa officials.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I have not seen them for four straight years.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Since the war began.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40I hope that peace will be in Syria very soon.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42That has made me very happy and hopefully we will get
0:14:42 > 0:14:47good news soon.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53You are a good boy for looking after Daddy.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Back in Cardiff, there is good news for Asmaa.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Her husband, Yasin, has been granted a visa.
0:15:01 > 0:15:07So Nabil will finally meet his father.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11They have been apart for a year.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16When he comes, I will cry because I love my husband.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Yes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I did that last night.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Something special.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Government figures show 4,500 Syrians like Asmaa have been granted
0:15:32 > 0:15:38asylum in the UK since the war began.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Suddenly, she sees her man.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01A father and son, split by war, now reunited.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33This family has made it to safety.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35But they have no idea what their new life in Wales
0:16:35 > 0:16:39will hold for them.
0:16:52 > 0:16:58Abeer has arrived in Beirut.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01She is anxious to hear if her mother and sisters have made it
0:17:01 > 0:17:02out of Syria.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07They are in a taxi crossing areas held by rebel and government troops.
0:17:07 > 0:17:14They have crossed the border now so I am very excited, now.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17They have been on the road now for 12 hours.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Finally, she spots the car.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46The first thing I want to do is just sit down and chat and chat and chat.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51It is the best thing that ever happened to me.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Their first family day out in three years is in stark contrast
0:17:59 > 0:18:01to their life in Syria.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Here they feel safe.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I woke up in the morning and I was very happy.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The life here is very beautiful.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15All the people are happy and they go shopping and are eating
0:18:15 > 0:18:19and always their friend.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21But reminders of the war are everywhere.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Many Syrian refugees here are homeless.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Their children are left to beg.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I asked him how old he was and he said seven.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39And I said, why are you not in school, and he said he sells
0:18:39 > 0:18:47flowers because his dad will shout at him if he does not sell them.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52The boy is nearly the same age as Abeer's son.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55A clamp-down on immigration in Beirut means that
0:18:55 > 0:18:57even if they wanted to, Hayat and her daughters could not
0:18:57 > 0:18:59claim asylum here.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01They have to go home.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06But Aleppo is unbearable.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30For now, they make the most of the peace.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Tomorrow, they will try to convince UK visa officials that they won't
0:19:35 > 0:19:38overstay their welcome in Wales.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Abeer, though, is feeling the pressure.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Why can't I see my family?
0:19:45 > 0:19:54Why do I need to leave my children and my family?
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I hate the war.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Next morning, they know everything hangs on the meeting.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08They have spent ?2,600 to get this far, the equivalent
0:20:08 > 0:20:12of what they would normally spend in ten months on living
0:20:12 > 0:20:14expenses in Syria.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19?500 from well-wishers in Wales has gone on legal fees.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21We can't go in with them.
0:20:21 > 0:20:28They are afraid it might jeopardise their application.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31They are in the visa office for two hours while officials look
0:20:31 > 0:20:32into their case.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35And when they finally emerge, they are optimistic.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39I am going to see them.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42So hopefully, fingers crossed.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45They will have to wait a fortnight to find out if their visa
0:20:45 > 0:20:47has been approved.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49So for now, Abeer's family's only contact with North Wales
0:20:49 > 0:20:54will be through Skype.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I feel that we will get it done.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04We will go to the UK and I will see my nephew.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Yes?
0:21:09 > 0:21:11My mum is here and Dania is drinking from my mug.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Abeer is returning to Abergele.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17But for her family, it's another taxi ride through dangerous
0:21:17 > 0:21:21territory back to their home on the front line.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I can just imagine, they are going through in the taxi
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and all these people are shooting and the bombing,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I cannot imagine that the road is safe or anything.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Which is...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34I am worried.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I am just hoping that they will make it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42A family friend joins Abeer to say goodbye.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Scenes like these have shocked the world.
0:22:21 > 0:22:28A human tide from Syria which shows no sign of abating.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49The risks Asmaa and Yasin took to get to Wales have paid off.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53And they are settling into their new flat.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54This is your bedroom?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Very nice.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57And your case above here?
0:22:57 > 0:22:58You can see that?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Syria.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And this has travelled a long way, hasn't it?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Every night I look.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I put the bag here and I see this every night.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11To remind you of home?
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Yes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16But they know that some will question what they have done.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17You came into this country illegally.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The country welcomed you in as a refugee.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24And now you have a home in Cardiff.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27There will be people who will say, why should you have that right?
0:23:27 > 0:23:33Why should we give you all these things?
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I know that I come here to Abergele and I say I am very sorry
0:23:36 > 0:23:39because I do that.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Because we don't have...
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Another choice.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46We are in a war.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51We should go to my country.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Me and my husband, he will be a good man, we will work.
0:23:54 > 0:24:02And make everything good for this country.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Yasin has the right to work and is looking for a full-time job.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11They can stay for five years then apply to settle in Britain.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Nabil was born here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17But their hearts belong to Syria.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I am Syrian and if the war finishes, I will come back to my country.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22You will go back to Syria?
0:24:22 > 0:24:23Yes.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26What does Yasin think?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28God willing?
0:24:28 > 0:24:33Of course.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37In Abergele, Abeer has been waiting for news of the visa.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40She has heard from Dania.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42She said it is bad news.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47We have not been accepted.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I feel all that hard work and everything...
0:24:49 > 0:24:53I feel that I cannot work any more, I just want to sit down.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I feel my body has been numbed.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57I feel very sad.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59The British visa officials weren't convinced they would have enough
0:24:59 > 0:25:03money to support themselves in Wales and because of the intensity
0:25:03 > 0:25:06of the war, they were not satisfied the women would go home
0:25:06 > 0:25:09after six months.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I don't understand from my point of view and my mum's point of view
0:25:13 > 0:25:17as a human, all I am thinking, to get my mum out of danger
0:25:17 > 0:25:25and to get to a safe place as quickly as possible.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30Amnesty International says stories like this are all too familiar.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Asmaa got into the country illegally in the back of a lorry.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And yet, Abeer's mother, who has tried the legitimate route,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41seems to have little hope of ever getting into the UK.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Doesn't that seem to just encourage those people
0:25:43 > 0:25:45who are going to try to get in here illegally?
0:25:45 > 0:25:51For many years, this country and many others have not provided
0:25:51 > 0:25:55safe and legal means whereby people at risk of persecution can come
0:25:55 > 0:26:00here and find refuge, find asylum.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04And so, that is why you see pregnant women, that is why you see people
0:26:04 > 0:26:06carrying little babies, making these extremely
0:26:06 > 0:26:13dangerous journeys.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Because there is no safe and legal route.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Things go from bad to worse in Aleppo.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23The city is under siege.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27We heard the bombs and many things.
0:26:27 > 0:26:34We try to take care and stay inside in the room inside.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37A lot of people care for you and they care
0:26:37 > 0:26:38for the refugees.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42They are trying to help.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47The connection is going.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51As the crisis deepens, Abeer turns to her local MP,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54David Jones, for help.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00He has supported the family's visa application.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I asked him what he makes of the decision to refuse their visa.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07One of the consequences is going to be that people
0:27:07 > 0:27:10like Mrs Jones and her mother are going to find themselves caught
0:27:10 > 0:27:12up in what is a tragedy.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Is that fair, is that right?
0:27:15 > 0:27:18In war, probably very little is fair.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I think that the Home Office can only apply their criteria
0:27:22 > 0:27:25as fairly as possible.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I certainly think that in the case of Mrs Jones, it is worthwhile
0:27:28 > 0:27:30having another go.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33The UK Government Immigration Minister declined to be interviewed
0:27:33 > 0:27:35about Abeer's case.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37A spokesman said, all visa applications are considered
0:27:37 > 0:27:41on their individual merits.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44He added, the Government is committed to resettling
0:27:44 > 0:27:47vulnerable Syrian refugees to help deter them from attempting perilous
0:27:47 > 0:27:52journeys and to stop criminal gangs profiting.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56But for now, that won't help Abeer's family.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58She remains determined to get them out.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00I have to think about them every day.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I have to worry about them every day.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06So I am not giving up.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09For Asmaa and Yasin, the war is behind them.
0:28:09 > 0:28:17They have the peace they wanted for themselves and for baby Nabil.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Bombs are still falling in Aleppo, where the siege has been lifted
0:28:21 > 0:28:26and hostilities are supposed to have been paused.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Hi, my name is Abeer Jones, I live in North Wales
0:28:29 > 0:28:31with my husband and my two boys.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Abeer hopes her social media campaign will change Home Office
0:28:34 > 0:28:38minds and policies.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41We have all one mum and my mum doesn't deserve to die like this.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Can you please share this video to help me to get her
0:28:44 > 0:28:47out of the danger?
0:28:47 > 0:28:52In the apartment, life is no easier.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56We are really exhausted now and we have had enough pain.
0:28:56 > 0:29:04And we cannot take any more.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08It is politicians who ultimately decide what happens in this war.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10But for those still caught up in the crossfire,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12the misery continues.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15We don't know what is coming next.
0:29:15 > 0:29:21We just want our simple right as humans to live safely.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24That is it.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48We're on a mission. We're shopping!
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Trainers are like God's gift to the world.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Alex and Steph...
0:29:53 > 0:29:54Whoa!
0:29:54 > 0:29:56..are finding out if better...