That life can be infinitely harsh is testified by the stories of all our beneficiaries, including the story of M.J.G.
This boy was born in 2005 in Afghanistan, in the provincial town of Herat, specifically in a village near this area. When he was two years old, he lost his parents, and then his uncle took care of him and his brother. They inherited land from their parents, which, by rule and court decision, could be managed by their uncle, who, as mentioned, was their guardian until they reached adulthood. As time passed, their uncle and his sons pressured the brothers to sign over the land so they could claim it. The situation worsened after the uncle’s death, when his sons, believing the land rightfully belonged to them, increased their pressures and threats towards M. and his brother. Consequently, his brother decided to leave Afghanistan and head to Europe, leaving M. alone and increasingly pressured by his relatives, without the protection of an older adult.
M. attended a religious school held in a mosque and successfully completed five grades of primary education despite the circumstances he lived in. The situation, already critical due to family issues, worsened when the boy began to receive additional threats from the Taliban for the following reasons: Being a Muslim-Shia and ethnically Tajik, he came into conflict with the Taliban, who are Muslim-Sunnis, known for instilling fear in those not sharing their Muslim orientation. He witnessed brutal attacks on people like himself during one of the main religious holidays in front of a mosque.
Neither M. nor his brother sought help because the law mandated that they live in their uncle’s house, and given the described situation, this would not have achieved anything. Therefore, his brother decided to leave their country. After being insulted by the Taliban for being an infidel and not practicing Muslim faith through specific religious rituals, and after witnessing physical attacks by the Taliban on other Muslim-Shias, with threats of terrorist attacks, M., feeling hopeless, decided in the summer of 2018 to leave Afghanistan with the intention of joining his brother who had reached and settled in Switzerland. He illegally crossed into Iran, where he spent the next year, then moved to Turkey for two years, before arriving in Serbia via Greece and North Macedonia.
Unable to cross the border, he decided to stay in Serbia and was accommodated in the government Home for Unaccompanied Minors “J.J. Zmaj” where he spent some time. After the sudden closure of this state-run unit for migrants, he was forced to relocate from what had been a safe environment for him and was placed in our Integration House “Pedro Arrupe”. Working with this boy resulted in him completing his secondary education successfully. As he will be a hairdresser by profession, he is undertaking his practical training in hair salons. He applied for asylum in Serbia, which was granted to him, and he recently received his travel document.
His behavior is subject to occasional mood swings due to memories he is exposed to, missing his family, and the injustice he faced so early in life. Nevertheless, M. is motivated to study, to work and earn money, and engage in sports, which was further supported by the Integration House team by providing him with monthly funds to regularly attend a fitness center, thus strengthening his character and will. Both for sports and for life.
