Refugee puppet 'Little Amal' continues her long walk in UK

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - Little Amal, a giant puppet symbolic of a refugee girl, is continuing her trek from Turkey through Europe and now the UK.

The Walk by the Little Amal, which started in Turkey this July, is an 8,000-kilometer walk to support young refugees and publicize their plight.

The 3.5 meter-tall figure of a young Syrian refugee child walked across Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium before reaching the UK “to focus attention on the urgent needs of young refugees.”

In Britain, Little Amal has so far visited notable cities including Kent and London and continued the walk to Oxford on Tuesday.

The puppet was welcomed by pro-refugee organizations and politicians in various appearances, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and pro-refugee peer Alf Dubs.

Turkey has been as major route for refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since the beginning of Syria's civil war over a decade ago.