If you think that a Bosnian child who was born after the war is luckier than the ones who lived in wartime Bosnia-Herzegovina, well you are wrong because there is no difference between the ones that survived it and the ones that were born after it.
As a post-war kid I can say that I have been facing many fearsome events that have heavily affected my childhood and personality, events which are a consequence of the war.
Just a few days ago in Pribava, the place I live in, a father and his little son named Sejdo faced a ruthless destiny. Life was never easy for them. In order to survive, they were forced to collect scrap iron trying to sell it.
On 4thJanuary 2014, they went to Karanovac, the village next to ours, to search for iron in some polluted areas. I hope that this day will be remembered by the people that could have helped this family, because on this day the ten-year old Sejdo stepped on a mine and died, while his father lost his legs.
After this sorrowful event, people started helping this family, saying that nobody knew about their economic situation, but as a matter of fact we all did. We just ignored the whole thing and waited until the very last moment to react. I am not blaming anyone in particular, because we are all guilty.
We could have helped a long time ago, making life better for the little boy, making him feel safe - but has a feeling of safety ever appeared in B&H? Almost 20 years after war, there are still many mine fields that haven’t been cleared at all, not to mention the ones that haven't been found or were left unmarked. Can the lack of money be a good excuse for uncleared fields? An excuse for the almost 8000 victims of mines in B&H?
As a post-war kid I can say that I have been facing many fearsome events that have heavily affected my childhood and personality, events which are a consequence of the war.
Just a few days ago in Pribava, the place I live in, a father and his little son named Sejdo faced a ruthless destiny. Life was never easy for them. In order to survive, they were forced to collect scrap iron trying to sell it.
On 4thJanuary 2014, they went to Karanovac, the village next to ours, to search for iron in some polluted areas. I hope that this day will be remembered by the people that could have helped this family, because on this day the ten-year old Sejdo stepped on a mine and died, while his father lost his legs.
After this sorrowful event, people started helping this family, saying that nobody knew about their economic situation, but as a matter of fact we all did. We just ignored the whole thing and waited until the very last moment to react. I am not blaming anyone in particular, because we are all guilty.
We could have helped a long time ago, making life better for the little boy, making him feel safe - but has a feeling of safety ever appeared in B&H? Almost 20 years after war, there are still many mine fields that haven’t been cleared at all, not to mention the ones that haven't been found or were left unmarked. Can the lack of money be a good excuse for uncleared fields? An excuse for the almost 8000 victims of mines in B&H?
In my opinion, as long as we have to face these terrible facts, Bosnian children will never have a normal childhood - or a childhood at all.
I hope that this horrible event will make responsible people react and help people in need, especially if children are involved.
Erna Kapetančić
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