Matteo Congregalli
MY HEART IS BROKEN - Serbia's migrant crisis
“When you get to Europe, we’ll throw a party, Abdul.” “My heart is broken, I don’t know how to celebrate anymore.”
Since summer 2016, around 8,000 people have been stranded in Serbia as the result of the shutdown of the Western Balkan Migration Route through EU migration policies.. Around 1,300 migrants and refugees, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, are currently living in a makeshift camp set up in an abandoned industrial area around Belgrade’s central station.
Almost a third of the people living in the Barracks are unaccompanied minors. Defiant in the face of tougher migration policies of the neighbouring countries (Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia), Belgrade’s refugees resiliently chase the dream of a better life in Europe.
The uncertainty of the journey is nothing compared to the certainty of death, back home.
Matteo Congregalli
He is a freelance photographer, writer and video producer currently based in Southern Europe, with experience with covering international news.
He focuses on the issues of migration, diaspora, identity, trauma and human rights violations.