Year after year, the plight of refugees dominates news headlines. Today Syria is experiencing the largest population exodus since the Second World War, with more than six million people forced to leave their homes. Twenty years ago, the news was dominated by refugees from Bosnia.
In an attempt to get to the human stories behind the headlines and provide context and understanding, ’30 Minuts’ looks at the lives of refugees from Syria and Bosnia.
We start in the refugee camps of Jordan, where refugees from the war in Syria have been living for over two years. All agree on the horror of war; none had ever imagined that they would have to leave everything behind.
Most refugees from Syria are waiting in Jordan, the Lebanon or Turkey, until the massacres stop. Afterwards they hope to return home. There are many, however, who have decided to continue their exodus. They include Mohammed, a young lawyer. When his asylum requests are turned down by European embassies in Amman, he admits on camera: “even if it means swimming, I’m going to try.” They’re looking for a better future, which they hope to find in Europe.
But what does the future hold for Syrians after the war ends? What happens when war is over and the refugees come home? To find out, “30 minuts” travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak again to former refugees originally interviewed between 1992 and 1995. Among them, the 9 year old who became a symbol of the war when footage of her being separated from her family was broadcast worldwide. They reflect on the scars that remain after a conflict.
A profound reflection on war and its devastating consequences on the lives of millions of people.