Stories of fate: refugees in Bulgaria and their struggle for survival
Stories of fate: refugees in Bulgaria and their struggle for survival
The refugee disaster at the EU's outer border in Bulgaria reaches new dimensions!
In a small Bulgarian place called Harrhanli, near the border with Türkiye, a drama unfolds that tears the hearts of people. Here, where hope for a better life meets brutal reality, refugees and asylum seekers are fighting for survival. Tomas, a committed helper, is in shock when he processes the horrors of the last night. "She was about to die. Should we have just started digging?" He asks desperately while looking for answers.
Medical care in the refugee camps is a joke! A large international NGO should help, but your doctor is hardly present and only offers the most rudimentary treatments. Tomas and I, as a volunteer, have settled in a park to help the needy. We treat everything from respiratory diseases to wounds that were created by daily marches through dense forests and raging rivers.
The cruel reality of the refugees
The refugees who have fled the world's most violent conflicts are now faced with a new kind of violence - that of Frontex and the European border police officers. Many of them carry the scars of their trip while they live in crowded camps that are haunted by pests and diseases. "The wounds don't heal here," I often hear while hearing the shocking stories.
A particularly moving case is that of Muhammad, a refugee from Jalalabad. He tells me about the brutal attacks by the Serbian border police, who beat him with sticks and whips. "They tore my toenails out of me individually," he reports with a stoic facial expression that breaks when he was the words of Dr. Nasir hears: "We will be witnesses for you." Tears fill his eyes when he realizes that his suffering does not remain unheard.
Halima, a pregnant woman who was on the run, experienced the unimaginable. She was beaten by tugs and finally lost her three babies. Her story is one of many who illustrate the cruelty of this trip. "I can't understand what she has lost," I think, while I give her a multivitamin preparation and hygiene article, which is far from sufficient.
a ray of hope in darkness
Not all stories are shaped by despair. Ahmed, a former paramedic who helped in Syria, shines despite his own grief. He shows me pictures of his time in Syria when he tried to save life. "I always wanted to help," he says with a smile that glows in the dark.
And then there is Hussein, a 15-year-old boy who fled Syria alone. He taught himself English and Bulgarian while waiting for reunification with his parents. "I dream of becoming an English teacher," he says with a spark of hope in his eyes. How many dreams have been destroyed here, how many talents remain undetected?
When I finally wait for my return flight to Canada at Sofia Airport, I am bothered by the Bulgarian border police officers. I am the only visible Muslim woman and recognize the injustice that prevails here. But at that moment I realize that I am proud to be part of these stories. The names of the refugees I have hit are not just numbers or statistics - they are symbols for courage, humanity and unshakable hope.
The names of the refugees and asylum seekers mentioned in this article have been changed to protect their identity.
-transmitted by West-Ost-Medien
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Ort | Harmanli, Bulgarien |