Cada dia escolto històries esgarrifoses sobre gent que fuig per sobreviure, travessant fronteres perilloses i mars hostils. Però hi ha una història que no em deixa dormir a la nit, és la història de la Doaa.
Every day, I listen to harrowing stories of people fleeing for their lives, across dangerous borders and unfriendly seas. But there's one story that keeps me awake at night, and it's about Doaa.
Una refugiada síria, de 19 anys, portava una existència miserable a Egipte treballant per un jornal. El seu pare només pensava en el negoci que havia deixat a Síria, que havia estat ensorrat per una bomba. La guerra que els havia fet emigrar seguia encesa després de quatre anys. La comunitat que els havia acollit al principi ja n'estava farta d'ells. I un dia, uns homes en moto van intentar raptar-la. La que abans era una estudiant ambiciosa, que només pensava en el seu futur, ara estava constantment espantada.
A Syrian refugee, 19 years old, she was living a grinding existence in Egypt working day wages. Her dad was constantly thinking of his thriving business back in Syria that had been blown to pieces by a bomb. And the war that drove them there was still raging in its fourth year. And the community that once welcomed them there had become weary of them. And one day, men on motorcycles tried to kidnap her. Once an aspiring student thinking only of her future, now she was scared all the time.
Però també tenia esperança perquè estava enamorada d'un refugiat sirià, en Bassem. En Bassem també lluitava per sobreviure a Egipte i li va dir a la Doaa, "Marxem a Europa, busquem asil, seguretat. Jo treballaré i tu podràs estudiar; la promesa d'una nova vida." Li va demanar al seu pare de casar-se. Però sabien que per arribar a Europa haurien d'ariscar la vida, Creuar el mar Mediterrani, posar-se en mans de traficants, coneguts per la seva crueltat. I la Doaa tenia pànic a l'aigua. Sempre n'havia tingut. Mai no havia après a nedar. Era l'agost i aquell any ja havien mort 2.000 persones intentant creuar el Mediterrani, però la Doaa tenia un amic que havia pogut arribar al nord d'Europa, i va pensar: "Potser nosaltres també podrem." I va demanar als pares si hi podia anar, i després d'una dolorosa discussió, van dir que sí, i en Bassem va gastar tots els seus estalvis, 2.300 euros per cap, als traficants.
But she was also full of hope, because she was in love with a fellow Syrian refugee named Bassem. Bassem was also struggling in Egypt, and he said to Doaa, "Let's go to Europe; seek asylum, safety. I will work, you can study -- the promise of a new life." And he asked her father for her hand in marriage. But they knew to get to Europe they had to risk their lives, traveling across the Mediterranean Sea, putting their hands in smugglers', notorious for their cruelty. And Doaa was terrified of the water. She always had been. She never learned to swim. It was August that year, and already 2,000 people had died trying to cross the Mediterranean, but Doaa knew of a friend who had made it all the way to Northern Europe, and she thought, "Maybe we can, too." So she asked her parents if they could go, and after a painful discussion, they consented, and Bassem paid his entire life savings -- 2,500 dollars each -- to the smugglers.
Un dissabte al matí, va arribar la trucada. Els van portar en autobús a una platja, amb centenars de persones a la platja. Els van portar en barques petites fins a un vell pesquer, 500 persones embotides en aquell vaixell, 300 sota coberta, 500 a coberta. Hi havia sirians, palestins, africans, musulmans i cristians, 100 nens, incloent-hi la Sandra, la petita Sandra, de 6 anys, i la Masa, de 18 mesos. Hi havia famílies en aquell vaixell, com en una llauna de sardines, ple de gom a gom. La Doaa seia amb les cames encongides cap al pit, En Bassem li agafava la mà.
It was a Saturday morning when the call came, and they were taken by bus to a beach, hundreds of people on the beach. They were taken then by small boats onto an old fishing boat, 500 of them crammed onto that boat, 300 below, [200] above. There were Syrians, Palestinians, Africans, Muslims and Christians, 100 children, including Sandra -- little Sandra, six years old -- and Masa, 18 months. There were families on that boat, crammed together shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet. Doaa was sitting with her legs crammed up to her chest, Bassem holding her hand.
El segon dia al mar, estaven molt preocupats i marejats per la mala mar.
Day two on the water, they were sick with worry and sick to their stomachs from the rough sea.
El tercer dia, la Doaa va tenir una premonició. I li va dir a en Bassem: "Em temo que no ho aconseguirem. Em temo que el vaixell s'enfonsarà." I en Bassem li va dir: "Si us plau, tingues paciència. Arribarem a Suècia, ens casarem i tindrem un futur."
Day three, Doaa had a premonition. And she said to Bassem, "I fear we're not going to make it. I fear the boat is going to sink." And Bassem said to her, "Please be patient. We will make it to Sweden, we will get married and we will have a future."
El quart dia, els passatgers s'estaven posant nerviosos. Van preguntar al capità: "Quan arribarem?" Ell els va dir que callessin i els va insultar. Va dir: "En 16 hores arribarem a la costa d'Itàlia." Estaven afeblits, esgotats. Aviat van veure un vaixell més petit que s'acostava, amb 10 homes a bord, que els van començar a cridar i a insultar, llençant-los pals, dient-los que desembarquessin i pugessin a un vaixell més petit i en molt males condicions. Els pares estaven terroritzats pels seus fills i, fent pinya, es van negar a desembarcar. I el vaixell va marxar a tota velocitat i mitja hora després va tornar i els va envestir a propòsit, i va foradar el vaixell de la Doaa, just a sota d'on ella i en Bassem seien. I ella els va sentir cridar: "Que els peixos es mengin la vostra carn!" I van començar a riure mentre el vaixell sotsobrava i s'enfonsava.
Day four, the passengers were getting agitated. They asked the captain, "When will we get there?" He told them to shut up, and he insulted them. He said, "In 16 hours we will reach the shores of Italy." They were weak and weary. Soon they saw a boat approach -- a smaller boat, 10 men on board, who started shouting at them, hurling insults, throwing sticks, asking them to all disembark and get on this smaller, more unseaworthy boat. The parents were terrified for their children, and they collectively refused to disembark. So the boat sped away in anger, and a half an hour later, came back and started deliberately ramming a hole in the side of Doaa's boat, just below where she and Bassem were sitting. And she heard how they yelled, "Let the fish eat your flesh!" And they started laughing as the boat capsized and sank.
Les 300 persones sota la coberta estaven condemnades. La Doaa s'aferrava a un costat del vaixell mentre s'enfonsava, i va veure horroritzada com l'hèlix destrossava un nen petit. En Bassem li va dir: "Si us plau, deixa't anar, o et xuclarà i l'hèlix també et matarà." I recordeu: ella no sap nedar. Però es va deixar anar i va començar a moure cames i braços, pensant: "Això és nedar." I, com de miracle, en Bassem va trobar un flotador. Era un flotador de nen per jugar a les piscines o en mars encalmats. I la Doaa s'hi va pujar, amb els braços i les cames penjant pels costats. En Bassem era un bon nedador, així és que li va agafar la mà i es va mantenir flotant. Al seu voltant tenien cadàvers. Inicialment, unes 100 persones van sobreviure, i es van començar a agrupar, pregant que els rescatessin. Però quan va passar un dia i ningú no va arribar, alguns van abandonar tota esperança, i la Doaa i en Bassem van veure com alguns homes en la distància es treien els salvavides i s'enfonsaven.
The 300 people below deck were doomed. Doaa was holding on to the side of the boat as it sank, and watched in horror as a small child was cut to pieces by the propeller. Bassem said to her, "Please let go, or you'll be swept in and the propeller will kill you, too." And remember -- she can't swim. But she let go and she started moving her arms and her legs, thinking, "This is swimming." And miraculously, Bassem found a life ring. It was one of those child's rings that they use to play in swimming pools and on calm seas. And Doaa climbed onto the ring, her arms and her legs dangling by the side. Bassem was a good swimmer, so he held her hand and tread water. Around them there were corpses. Around 100 people survived initially, and they started coming together in groups, praying for rescue. But when a day went by and no one came, some people gave up hope, and Doaa and Bassem watched as men in the distance took their life vests off and sank into the water.
Un home se'ls va acostar amb una nena petita a les espatlles, la Malek, de nou mesos. L'home s'aferrava a una bombona de gas per no enfonsar-se, i els va dir: "Em temo que no sobreviuré. Estic massa feble. Ja no tinc ànims." I va entregar la petita Malek al Bassem i la Doaa, i ells la van pujar al flotador. Ara eren tres: la Doaa, en Bassem i la petita Malek.
One man approached them with a small baby perched on his shoulder, nine months old -- Malek. He was holding onto a gas canister to stay afloat, and he said to them, "I fear I am not going to survive. I'm too weak. I don't have the courage anymore." And he handed little Malek over to Bassem and to Doaa, and they perched her onto the life ring. So now they were three, Doaa, Bassem and little Malek.
I deixeu-me fer una pausa en aquesta història i fer una pregunta: per què hi ha refugiats com la Doaa que s'arrisquen d'aquesta manera? Milions de refugiats viuen a l'exili, als llimbs. Fugen de països amb una guerra que fa quatre anys que dura. Fins i tot si volguessin tornar, no poden. Casa seva, els seus negocis, els seus pobles i ciutats han estat destruïts completament. Aquesta és una ciutat declarada Patrimoni de la Humanitat per l'UNESCO: Homs, a Síria. La gent continua fugint als països veïns i nosaltres els construïm camps de refugiats al desert. Centenars de milers de persones viuen en camps com aquests, i milers i milers més, milions, viuen en pobles i ciutats. I les comunitats, els països veïns que un dia els van acollir amb els braços i el cor oberts estan sobrepassats. I és que no hi ha prou escoles, sistemes d'aigua, lavabos... Ni els països europeus rics no podrien gestionar mai un flux així sense una inversió massiva. La guerra de Síria ha fet fugir del país a gairebé 4 milions de persones, però més de 7 milions també estan desplaçades dintre del país. Això significa que més de la meitat de la població siriana s'ha vist forçada a fugir. Però tornem als països veïns que n'acullen tants: tenen la sensació que el món ric ha fet molt poc per ajudar-los. I els dies s'han transformat en mesos, els mesos en anys. Se suposa que l'estada d'un refugiat ha de ser temporal.
And let me take a pause in this story right here and ask the question: why do refugees like Doaa take these kinds of risks? Millions of refugees are living in exile, in limbo. They're living in countries [fleeing] from a war that has been raging for four years. Even if they wanted to return, they can't. Their homes, their businesses, their towns and their cities have been completely destroyed. This is a UNESCO World Heritage City, Homs, in Syria. So people continue to flee into neighboring countries, and we build refugee camps for them in the desert. Hundreds of thousands of people live in camps like these, and thousands and thousands more, millions, live in towns and cities. And the communities, the neighboring countries that once welcomed them with open arms and hearts are overwhelmed. There are simply not enough schools, water systems, sanitation. Even rich European countries could never handle such an influx without massive investment. The Syria war has driven almost four million people over the borders, but over seven million people are on the run inside the country. That means that over half the Syrian population has been forced to flee. Back to those neighboring countries hosting so many. They feel that the richer world has done too little to support them. And days have turned into months, months into years. A refugee's stay is supposed to be temporary.
Tornem a la Doaa i al Bassem, que són a l'aigua. Era el seu segon dia, i el Bassem s'estava afeblint molt. I ara era el torn de la Doaa de dir-li al Bassem: "Amor meu, si us plau agafa't a l'esperança, al nostre futur. Ho aconseguirem" I ell va contestar: "Estimada, sento haver-te posat en aquesta situació. Mai no he estimat ningú com t'estimo a tu." I es va deixar anar a l'aigua, i la Doaa va veure com l'amor de la seva vida s'ofegava davant dels seus ulls.
Back to Doaa and Bassem in the water. It was their second day, and Bassem was getting very weak. And now it was Doaa's turn to say to Bassem, "My love, please hold on to hope, to our future. We will make it." And he said to her, "I'm sorry, my love, that I put you in this situation. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you." And he released himself into the water, and Doaa watched as the love of her life drowned before her eyes.
Més tard aquell mateix dia, una mare es va acostar a la Doaa amb la seva filla, Masa, de 18 mesos. És la petita de la fotografia que hem vist abans, amb les armilles salvavides. La seva germana, Sandra, s'acabava d'ofegar, i la mare sabia que havia de fer tot el que pogués per salvar la seva filla. I li va dir a la Doaa: "Si us plau, agafa aquesta nena. Que sigui una part de tu. Jo no sobreviuré." Llavors es va allunyar i es va ofegar.
Later that day, a mother came up to Doaa with her small 18-month-old daughter, Masa. This was the little girl I showed you in the picture earlier, with the life vests. Her older sister Sandra had just drowned, and her mother knew she had to do everything in her power to save her daughter. And she said to Doaa, "Please take this child. Let her be part of you. I will not survive." And then she went away and drowned.
I la Doaa, la refugiada de 19 anys, a qui l'aigua l'aterrava, i que no sabia nedar, es va trobar al càrrec de dues criatures petites. I tenien sed i gana i estaven nervioses, i ella va fer tot el possible per entretenir-les, cantant, dient paraules de l'Alcorà. Al seu voltant, els cossos s'estaven inflant i tornant negres. De dia, el sol cremava. De nit, hi havia boira i una lluna freda. Feia molta por. Al quart dia aquest devia ser l'aspecte de la Doaa al flotador amb les dues nenes.
So Doaa, the 19-year-old refugee who was terrified of the water, who couldn't swim, found herself in charge of two little baby kids. And they were thirsty and they were hungry and they were agitated, and she tried her best to amuse them, to sing to them, to say words to them from the Quran. Around them, the bodies were bloating and turning black. The sun was blazing during the day. At night, there was a cold moon and fog. It was very frightening. On the fourth day in the water, this is how Doaa probably looked on the ring with her two children.
El quart dia se li va apropar una dona i li va demanar que agafés un altre nen, un nen petit de només 4 anys. Quan la Doaa es va agafar el nen i la mare es va ofegar, li va dir al nen que plorava: "Ha anat a buscar aigua i menjar per a tu." Però el cor del nen aviat es va aturar, i la Doaa va haver de deixar-lo anar a l'aigua.
A woman came on the fourth day and approached her and asked her to take another child -- a little boy, just four years old. When Doaa took the little boy and the mother drowned, she said to the sobbing child, "She just went away to find you water and food." But his heart soon stopped, and Doaa had to release the little boy into the water.
Més tard el mateix dia, va mirar amunt, al cel, amb esperança, perquè va veure dos avions creuant el cel. I va fer senyals amb els braços, esperant que la veiessin, però els avions aviat van marxar.
Later that day, she looked up into the sky with hope, because she saw two planes crossing in the sky. And she waved her arms, hoping they would see her, but the planes were soon gone.
Però aquella mateixa tarda, mentre el sol es ponia, va veure un vaixell, un mercant. I va dir: "Si us plau, Déu, que em rescatin." Va agitar els braços i va sentir que cridava durant 2 hores. Ja s'havia fet fosc quan, finalment, els reflectors la van trobar li van llençar una corda, sorpresos de veure una dona aferrada dos nens.
But that afternoon, as the sun was going down, she saw a boat, a merchant vessel. And she said, "Please, God, let them rescue me." She waved her arms and she felt like she shouted for about two hours. And it had become dark, but finally the searchlights found her and they extended a rope, astonished to see a woman clutching onto two babies.
Els van pujar al vaixell, els van donar oxigen i mantes, i va arribar un helicòpter grec a recollir-los i portar-los a l'illa de Creta.
They pulled them onto the boat, they got oxygen and blankets, and a Greek helicopter came to pick them up and take them to the island of Crete.
Però la Doaa va mirar avall i va preguntar: "I la Malek?" I li van dir que la nena no havia sobreviscut, havia expirat a l'hospital del vaixell. Però la Doaa estava segura que mentre les pujaven al vaixell la petita somreia.
But Doaa looked down and asked, "What of Malek?" And they told her the little baby did not survive -- she drew her last breath in the boat's clinic. But Doaa was sure that as they had been pulled up onto the rescue boat, that little baby girl had been smiling.
Només 11 persones de 500 van sobreviure el naufragi. No s'ha fet cap investigació internacional sobre el que va passar. Hi va haver alguna notícia sobre una massacre al mar, una tragèdia terrible, però només va durar un dia. Després, el cicle de les notícies va passar pàgina.
Only 11 people survived that wreck, of the 500. There was never an international investigation into what happened. There were some media reports about mass murder at sea, a terrible tragedy, but that was only for one day. And then the news cycle moved on.
Mentretant, en un hospital pediàtric de Creta, la petita Masa estava al caire de la mort. Estava molt deshidratada. Li fallaven els ronyons. Tenia la glucosa perillosament baixa. Els metges van fer tot el mèdicament possible per salvar-la, i les infermeres gregues no la van deixar mai sola, agafant-li la mà, abraçant-la, cantant-li. Els meus col·legues també la van visitar i li van dir paraules boniques en àrab. Sorprenentment, la petita Masa va sobreviure.
Meanwhile, in a pediatric hospital on Crete, little Masa was on the edge of death. She was really dehydrated. Her kidneys were failing. Her glucose levels were dangerously low. The doctors did everything in their medical power to save them, and the Greek nurses never left her side, holding her, hugging her, singing her words. My colleagues also visited and said pretty words to her in Arabic. Amazingly, little Masa survived.
I aviat la premsa grega va començar a parlar de la bebè miraculosa, que havia sobreviscut quatre dies a l'aigua sense menjar ni beure, i d'arreu del país van arribar ofertes per adoptar-la.
And soon the Greek press started reporting about the miracle baby, who had survived four days in the water without food or anything to drink, and offers to adopt her came from all over the country.
Mentretant, la Dooa era en un altre hospital de Creta, prima, deshidratada. Una família egípcia la va acollir a casa seva quan va sortir de l'hospital. I aviat va córrer la veu que la Dooa havia sobreviscut, i es va publicar un número de telèfon a Facebook. Van començar a arribar missatges.
And meanwhile, Doaa was in another hospital on Crete, thin, dehydrated. An Egyptian family took her into their home as soon as she was released. And soon word went around about Doaa's survival, and a phone number was published on Facebook. Messages started coming in.
"Doaa, saps què li va passar al meu germà? A la meva germana? Als meus pares? Als meus amics? Saps si van sobreviure?"
"Doaa, do you know what happened to my brother? My sister? My parents? My friends? Do you know if they survived?"
Un d'aquests missatges deia: "Crec que vas salvar la meva petita neboda, la Masa." I tenia aquesta foto. Era del tiet de la Masa, un refugiat sirià que havia arribat a Suècia amb la seva família i també la germana gran de la Masa. Tenim l'esperança que aviat la Masa es reunirà amb ell a Suècia, i fins llavors, l'estan cuidant en un bonic orfenat d'Atenes.
One of those messages said, "I believe you saved my little niece, Masa." And it had this photo. This was from Masa's uncle, a Syrian refugee who had made it to Sweden with his family and also Masa's older sister. Soon, we hope, Masa will be reunited with him in Sweden, and until then, she's being cared for in a beautiful orphanage in Athens.
I la Doaa? Bé, la seva història de supervivència també es va fer pública. I la premsa va escriure sobre aquesta dona petita i no es podien imaginar com va poder sobreviure tot aquell temps en aquelles circumstàncies al mar i salvar una altra vida. L'Acadèmia d'Atenes, una de les institucions més prestigioses de Grècia, li va atorgar un premi a la valentia, i es mereix tots aquests elogis i es mereix una segona oportunitat. Però encara vol anar a Suècia. Es vol reunir amb la família que hi té. Vol portar la seva mare, el seu pare i els seus germans petits d'Egipte a Suècia també i jo crec que ho aconseguirà. Vol ser advocada o política o alguna cosa que pugui ajudar a lluitar contra la injustícia. És una supervivent extraordinària.
And Doaa? Well, word went around about her survival, too. And the media wrote about this slight woman, and couldn't imagine how she could survive all this time under such conditions in that sea, and still save another life. The Academy of Athens, one of Greece's most prestigious institutions, gave her an award of bravery, and she deserves all that praise, and she deserves a second chance. But she wants to still go to Sweden. She wants to reunite with her family there. She wants to bring her mother and her father and her younger siblings away from Egypt there as well, and I believe she will succeed. She wants to become a lawyer or a politician or something that can help fight injustice. She is an extraordinary survivor.
Però he de preguntar: i si no hagués hagut d'assumir aquest risc? Per què va haver de passar per tot això? Per què no hi va haver una manera legal per que ella pogués estudiar a Europa? Per què la Masa no va poder agafar un avió cap a Suècia? Per què el Bassem no va poder trobar feina? Per què no hi ha un programa de reubicació a gran escala per als refugiats sirians, que són víctimes de la pitjor guerra dels nostres dies? El món ho va fer per als vietnamites en la dècada dels 70. Per què ara no? Per què hi ha tan poca inversió als països veïns que acullen tants refugiats? I per què, el més important, es fa tan poc per aturar les guerres, la persecució i la pobresa que està empenyent a tanta gent a les costes d'Europa? Fins que no es resolguin aquests problemes, la gent continuarà llençant-se al mar buscant seguretat i asil.
But I have to ask: what if she didn't have to take that risk? Why did she have to go through all that? Why wasn't there a legal way for her to study in Europe? Why couldn't Masa have taken an airplane to Sweden? Why couldn't Bassem have found work? Why is there no massive resettlement program for Syrian refugees, the victims of the worst war of our times? The world did this for the Vietnamese in the 1970s. Why not now? Why is there so little investment in the neighboring countries hosting so many refugees? And why, the root question, is so little being done to stop the wars, the persecution and the poverty that is driving so many people to the shores of Europe? Until these issues are resolved, people will continue to take to the seas and to seek safety and asylum.
I què passarà després? Això depèn en gran mesura del que decideixi Europa. Jo entenc les pors de la gent. La gent està preocupada per la seguretat, l'economia, els canvis a la cultura. Però és això més important que salvar vides humanes? Perquè hi ha quelcom fonamental aquí que jo crec que està per damunt de la resta, i és la nostra humanitat comuna. Ningú que fuig d'una guerra o d'una persecució hauria de morir creuant un mar per aconseguir seguretat.
And what happens next? Well, that is largely Europe's choice. And I understand the public fears. People are worried about their security, their economies, the changes of culture. But is that more important than saving human lives? Because there is something fundamental here that I think overrides the rest, and it is about our common humanity. No person fleeing war or persecution should have to die crossing a sea to reach safety.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
Una cosa és segura: cap refugiat no pujaria a aquests perillosos vaixells si poguessin tirar endavant allà on són. I cap migrant no faria aquest viatge perillós si tingués prou menjar per a ell i els seus fills. I ningú no posaria els estalvis de tota una vida a les mans d'aquests famosos traficants de persones si hi hagués una manera legal de migrar.
One thing is for sure, that no refugee would be on those dangerous boats if they could thrive where they are. And no migrant would take that dangerous journey if they had enough food for themselves and their children. And no one would put their life savings in the hands of those notorious smugglers if there was a legal way to migrate.
Així és que, en nom de la petita Masa i en nom de la Doaa i del Bassem i de les 500 persones que es van ofegar amb ells, ens podem assegurar que no van morir en va? Ens podem sentir inspirats pel que va passar i apostar per un món en el que cada vida importi?
So on behalf of little Masa and on behalf of Doaa and of Bassem and of those 500 people who drowned with them, can we make sure that they did not die in vain? Could we be inspired by what happened, and take a stand for a world in which every life matters?
Gràcies. (Aplaudiments)
Thank you. (Applause)