The last time Zahra Bakri saw her 16-year-old son, he was leaving the house to see a friend a year ago

She is one of many women whose children have risked their lives for better opportunities in Europe.

But like many parents, Bakri hasn't heard from her 16-year-old son Nourredine since the day he left.

She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

"That day, the 10th of October, he went out to do some sport and asked me if he could spend the night at his uncle's house. When he got there, he found a friend who asked him to join them on a boat," Bakri recalls.

TRT World’s Ahmed al Burai has more on the story.