Hver dag lytter jeg til rystende historier om mennesker, der flygter for sine liv, over farlige grænser og fjendtlige have. Men der er én historie, som holder mig vågen om natten, og den handler om Doaa. En syrisk flygtning, 19 år gammel,
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. A Syrian refugee, 19 years old,
hun levede en kummerlig tilværelse, som daglønnet arbejder i Egypten. Hendes far tænkte konstant på sin blomstrende forretning i Syrien, som var blevet sprunget i luften af en bombe. Krigen som havde tvunget dem dertil rasede stadig, på sit fjerde år. Og samfundet som tidligere bød dem velkommen, var blevet træt af dem. En dag forsøgte mænd på motorcykler at kidnappe hende. Hun var tidligere en dygtig studerende, som kun tænkte på fremtiden og nu var hun konstant bange. Men hun var også fuld af håb for hun var forelsket i en anden syrisk flygtning ved navn Bassem.
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. But she was also full of hope, because she was in love with a fellow Syrian refugee named Bassem.
Bassem kæmpede også i Egypten og han sagde til Doaa, "Lad os tage til Europa; søge asyl og sikkerhed. Jeg kan arbejde og du kan studere -- løftet om et nyt liv." Og han spurgte hendes far om lov til at gifte sig med hende. De vidste dog, at for at komme til Europa måtte de risikere deres liv ved at krydse Middelhavet,
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,
og sætte deres lid til smuglere, som er notoriske for deres ondskab. Og Doaa var skrækslagen for vand. Det havde hun altid været. Hun havde aldrig lært at svømme. Det var august det år og 2000 mennesker var allerede døde, i forsøg på at krydse Middelhavet.
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,
Men Doaa kendte en ven, der havde taget sig helt til Nordeuropa, og hun tænkte, "Det kan vi måske også." Så hun spurgte sine forældre om tilladelse til at rejse, og efter en smertefuld diskussion, gav de deres samtykke, og Bassem betalte med sin livsopsparing -- 2500 dollars for hver af dem -- til smuglerne. Det var en lørdag morgen, da opkaldet kom, og de blev ført i bus til en strand med hundredevis af mennesker.
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. It was a Saturday morning when the call came, and they were taken by bus to a beach, hundreds of people on the beach.
De blev ført i små både ombord på en gammel fiskebåd, 500 trængte sig sammen på båden, 300 over dæk, [200] under. Der var syrier, palæstinensere, afrikanere, muslimer og kristne, 100 børn, deriblandt Sandra -- lille Sandra, seks år gammel -- og Masa, 18 måneder gammel. Der var familier på båden, trængt tæt sammen skulder mod skulder, fødder mod fødder. Doaa sad med sine ben trykt mod brystet, Bassem holdt hendes hånd. Dag to på havet var de syge af uro og frygteligt søsyge af det barske hav.
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. Day two on the water, they were sick with worry and sick to their stomachs from the rough sea.
Dag tre fik Doaa en forudanelse. Hun sagde til Bassem, "Jeg er bange for, at vi ikke overlever dette.
Day three, Doaa had a premonition. And she said to Bassem, "I fear we're not going to make it.
Jeg frygter, at båden vil synke." Og Bassem sagde til hende, "Vær tålmodig. Vi skal nok klare det til Sverige, hvor vi gifter os og vil have en fremtid." Dag fire begyndte passagererne at blive mere urolige. De spurgte kaptajnen, "Hvornår er vi fremme?"
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." Day four, the passengers were getting agitated. They asked the captain, "When will we get there?"
Han bad dem om at holde kæft og han fornærmede dem. Han sagde, "Vi når Italiens kyster om 16 timer." De var svage og udmattede. Snart så de en båd nærme sig -- en mindre båd med 10 mænd ombord, som begyndte at råbe efter dem, og skrige fornærmelser, kaste pinde og bede dem alle om at forlade båden for at gå ombord på den mindre, usødygtige båd. Forældrene var livrædde for deres børns skyld, og de nægtede kollektivt at forlade båden. Så bådfolkene vendte om i vrede og kom tilbage en halv time senere og begynde bevidst at borre hul i siden på Doaa's båd, lige neden for, hvor hun og Bassem sad. Hun hørte, hvordan de råbte, "Lad fiskene spise jeres kød!" Og de begyndte at le, da båden kæntrede og sank. De 300 mennesker under dæk var dødsdømt. Doaa holdt fast i bådens side mens den sank,
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. The 300 people below deck were doomed. Doaa was holding on to the side of the boat as it sank,
og så skrækslagen på, mens et lille barn blev skåret i stykker af en propel. Bassem sagde til hende, "Slip mig, ellers bliver du suget ind og propelleren vil også dræbe dig." Og husk -- hun kan ikke svømme. Men hun slap og begyndte at bevæge arme og ben, og tænkte, "Jeg svømmer." Mirakuløst nok fandt Bassem en svømmering. Det var sådan en ring, som børn leger med i swimmingpoolen og i stille vand. Og Doaa kravlede op i ringen, hendes arme og ben dinglede ud til siden. Bassem var en god svømmer, så han holdt hendes hånd og trådte vande. Der var lig omkring dem. Cirka 100 mennesker overlevede indledningsvis, og de begyndte at samle sig i grupper og bede for at blive reddet. Men da en dag var gået og ingen kom, begyndte en del at opgive håbet, og Doaa og Bassem så på, da mænd længere væk tog redningsvestene af og sank ned i vandet. En mand nærmede sig med en lille baby på skulderen, ni måneder gamle Malek.
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. One man approached them with a small baby perched on his shoulder, nine months old -- Malek.
Manden holdt sig flydende ved hjælp af en gascylinder og sagde til dem, "Jeg er bange for, at jeg ikke vil overleve. Jeg er for svag og jeg har ikke længere modet." Han overrækkede Malek til Bassem og Doaa, og de anbragte hende på ringen. Nu var de tre, Doaa, Bassem og lille Malek. Lad mig foretage en pause i historien og stille spørgsmålet:
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. And let me take a pause in this story right here and ask the question:
Hvorfor tager flygtninge som Doaa sådanne risikoer? Millioner af flygtninge lever i eksil, i limbo. De lever i lande [er flygtet] fra en krig, der har raset i fire år. Selv om de skulle ønske at vende tilbage, så kan de ikke. Deres hjem, deres forretninger, deres landsbyer og byer er blevet fuldstændig ødelagte. Dette er en af UNESCO's verdensarvsbyer, Homs, i Syrien. Folk bliver ved med at flygte til nærliggende lande, og vi bygger flygtningelejre i ørkenen til dem. Hundredevis af mennesker lever i flygtningelejre som disse, og mange flere tusinde, millioner, bor i byer. Og samfundene, nabolande, som tidligere tog imod dem med åbne arme og hjerter er overvældede. Der er helt enkelt ikke nok skoler, vand- og sanitetssystemer. Selv Europas rige lande ville have svært ved at klare sådan en tilstrømning uden massive investeringer. Krigen i Syrien har drevet næsten fire millioner mennesker over grænserne, men over syv millioner mennesker er på flugt inde i landet. Det betyder, at over halvdelen af Syriens befolkning er blevet tvunget på flugt. Lad os vende tilbage til nabolandene, der nu er værtslande for så mange. De føler, at den rigere del af verden har gjort for lidt for at støtte dem. Dage er blevet til måneder måneder er blevet til år. En flygtnings ophold bør være midlertidig. Tilbage til Doaa og Bassem i vandet. Det var deres anden dag, og Bassem begyndte at blive meget svag. Nu var det Doaas tur at sige til Bassem,
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. 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,
"Min elskede, bevar håbet om vores fremtid. Vi klarer det." Og han sagde til hende, "Jeg er ked af det, min elskede, at jeg satte dig i denne situation. Jeg har aldrig elsket nogen så højt som jeg elsker dig." Så slap han grebet og forsvandt i vandet, og Doaa så sin elskede drukne foran øjnene på hende. Senere samme dag
"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. Later that day,
kom en mor op til Doaa med sin lille 18 måneder gamle datter, Masa. Det var den lille pige på billedet, jeg viste jer tidligere
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,
med redningsvestene. Hendes ældre søster Sandra var lige druknet, og hendes mor vidste, at hun måtte gøre alt i sin magt for at redde sin datter. Hun sagde til Doaa, "Vær sød at tage dette barn. Lad hende blive en del af dig. Jeg vil ikke overleve." Og så flød hun væk og druknede. Så den 19-årige flygtning Doa, der var bange for vand og ikke kunne svømme, var pludselig ansvarlig for to små børn.
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. 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.
De var tørstige, sultne og urolige, og hun gjorde sit bedste for at underholde dem, synge for dem, sige ord fra Koranen. Omkring dem var opsvulmede kroppe, som blev sorte. Solen strålede varmt om dagen. Om aftenen var en kold måne og tåge. Det var utrolig skræmmende. Dette er formentlig sådan Doaa så ud efter fire dag i vandet, på ringen med hendes to børn. På den fjerde dag nærmede en kvinde sig hende og bad hende tage yderligere et barn -- en lille dreng på kun fire år.
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. A woman came on the fourth day and approached her and asked her to take another child -- a little boy, just four years old.
Da Doaa tog barnet og moderen druknede, sagde hun til det hulkende barn, "Hun er bare ude for at finde vand og mad til dig." Men hans hjerte stoppede snart, og Doaa måtte slippe den lille dreng ned i vandet. Senere samme dag, så hun håbefuldt op mod himlen, for hun så to fly krydse hinanden i himlen.
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. Later that day, she looked up into the sky with hope, because she saw two planes crossing in the sky.
Hun vinkede med armene og håbede de ville se hende, men flyene var snart væk igen. Men da solen gik ned den eftermiddag, så hun en båd, et handelsflådefartøj. Og hun sagde, "Kære Gud, lad dem redde mig."
And she waved her arms, hoping they would see her, but the planes were soon gone. 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."
Hun vinkede med armene og det føltes som om hun råbte i to timer. Det var blevet mørkt, men endelig fandt søgelyset hende og de rækkede et reb ud, forbløffede over at se en kvinde holde to børn i et fast greb. De trak dem ombord på båden, hvor de fik ilt og tæpper, og en græsk helikopter kom for at hente dem og tage dem til den græske ø Kreta.
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. 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.
Men Doaa kiggede ned og spurgte, "Hvor er Malek?" De fortalte hende, at det lille barn ikke havde overlevet -- hun tog sin sidste vejrtrækning i bådens klinik.
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.
Men Doaa var sikker på, at idet de blev trukket op på redningsbåden, havde den lille pige smilet. Kun 11 personer overlevede forliset, ud af de 500. Der blev aldrig foretaget en international undersøgelse af det skete. Der var nogle mediarapporter om massemord til havs,
But Doaa was sure that as they had been pulled up onto the rescue boat, that little baby girl had been smiling. 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,
en frygtelig tragedie, men det var kun for en dag. Indtil nyhedsstrømmen fortsatte. Under tiden, på et børnesygehus på Kreta var lille Masa døden nær. Hun var meget dehydreret. Hun oplevede nyresvigt.
a terrible tragedy, but that was only for one day. And then the news cycle moved on. Meanwhile, in a pediatric hospital on Crete, little Masa was on the edge of death. She was really dehydrated. Her kidneys were failing.
Hendes glukoseniveauer var farligt lave. Lægerne gjorde alt de kunne for at redde dem, og de græske sygeplejesker forlod aldrig hendes side, de holdt om hende, gav hende knus og sang for hende. Mine kollegaer besøgte hende også og sagde smukke ord til hende på arabisk. Mirakuløst nok overlevede lille Masa. Den græske presse begyndte snart at rapportere om mirakelbabyen, som havde overlevet fire dage i vandet, uden mad og noget at drikke, og tilbud om at adoptere hende kom fra hele landet.
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. 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.
Doaa var imidlertidig på et andet sygehus på Kreta, tynd og dehydreret. En egyptisk familie tog imod hende i deres hjem så snart hun blev udskrevet.
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.
Snart spredte ordet sig om Doaas overlevelse, og et telefonnummer blev publiceret på facebook. Beskeder begyndte at komme ind. "Doaa, ved du, hvad der er sket med min bror? Min søster? Mine forældre? Mine venner? Ved du, om de overlevede?" I en af disse beskeder stod der,
And soon word went around about Doaa's survival, and a phone number was published on Facebook. Messages started coming in. "Doaa, do you know what happened to my brother? My sister? My parents? My friends? Do you know if they survived?" One of those messages said,
"Jeg tror du reddede min lille niece, Masa." Og det havde dette foto.
"I believe you saved my little niece, Masa." And it had this photo.
Det var fra Masas onkel, en syrisk flygtning, som havde lykkedes tage sig til Sverige med sin familie og Masas ældre søster. Vi håber snart Masa kan forenes med ham i Sverige, indtil da bliver hun taget hånd om på et smukt barnehjem i Athen. Og Doaa? Ordet spredte sig også om hendes overlevelse. Medierne skrev om denne unge kvinde, og kunne ikke forestille sig, hvordan hun kunne overleve
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. 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 sådanne forhold til havs, og samtidig redde et andet liv. Athens Akademi, en af Grækenlands mest præstigefyldte institutioner, tildelte hende en pris for mod, og hun fortjener al den lovprisning, og hun fortjener en anden chance. Men hun vil stadig rejse til Sverige. Hun vil genforenes med sin familie der. Hun vil bringe sin mor, far og yngre søskende væk fra Egypten og dertil, og jeg tror, hun vil lykkes. Hun vil blive advokat eller politiker eller noget lignende, som kan hjælpe i kampen mod uretfærdighed. Hun er en ekstraordinær overlever. Men jeg er nødt til at spørge: tænk hvis hun ikke havde behøvet at løbe den risiko? Hvorfor skulle hun gå alt det igennem?
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. But I have to ask: what if she didn't have to take that risk? Why did she have to go through all that?
Hvorfor var der ikke en lovlig måde for hende at kunne studere i Europa? Hvorfor kunne Masa ikke have taget et fly til Sverige? Hvorfor kunne Bassem ikke have fundet arbejde? Hvorfor er der ikke et enormt omlokaliseringprogram for syriske flygtninge, ofrene for den værste krig i vor tid? Verden gjorde dette for vietnameserne i 1970'erne. Så hvorfor ikke nu? Hvorfor er der så lidt investering i nabolandene, som tager imod så mange flygtninge? Og til hovedspørgsmålet, hvorfor bliver der gjort så lidt for at stoppe krige, forfølgelse og fattigdom, som driver så mange mennesker til Europas grænser? Indtil disse problemer er løst, vil folk blive ved med at flygte over have og søge tryghed og asyl. Hvad sker der nu? Det er til store dele Europas valg. Jeg forstår offentlighedens frygt.
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. And what happens next? Well, that is largely Europe's choice. And I understand the public fears.
Folk er bekymrede for deres sikkerhed, økonomi og for kulturelle forandringer. Men er det vigtigere end at redde liv? For der er noget grundlæggende her, som overskygger alt andet, ifølge min mening, og det er vores fælles medmenneskelighed. Ingen person, der flygter fra krig eller forfølgelse skal behøve at dø på et hav for at nå sikkerhed. (Bifald) Én ting er sikker, at ingen flygtninge ville være på disse farlige både,
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. (Applause) One thing is for sure, that no refugee would be on those dangerous boats
hvis de kunne leve og trives hvor de var.
if they could thrive where they are.
Og ingen migrant vil tage på en så farlig rejse, hvis de havde nok mad til dem selv og deres børn. Ingen ville give deres livsopsparinger til berygtede smuglere, hvis der var en lovlig vej for migration. Så for Masas skyld og for Doaas skyld og for Bassems
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. So on behalf of little Masa and on behalf of Doaa and of Bassem
og de 500 mennesker, der druknede med dem, kan vi sikre, at de ikke døde forgæves? Kan vi lade os inspirere af det der skete, og arbejde for en verden, hvor alles liv er vigtige? Tak.
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? Thank you.
(Bifald)
(Applause)