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.
Každý deň počúvam otrasné príbehy ľudí, ktorí utekajú o život cez nebezpečné hranice a nepriateľské moria. A je jeden príbeh, ktorý mi nedovolí spať, príbeh ženy menom Doaa.
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.
19-ročná sýrska utečenkyňa, žila v zničujúcich podmienkach v Egypte a pracovala za dennú mzdu. Jej otec nemohol prestať myslieť na prosperujúcu firmu, ktorú mal v Sýrii a ktorú na prach rozmetala bomba. A vojna, ktorá ich sem dohnala, aj po štyroch rokoch stále pretrvávala. A komunita, ktorá ich kedysi privítala, z nich začínala byť unavená. A raz sa ju muži na motorkách pokúsili uniesť. Kedysi ctižiadostivá študentka, ktorá myslela na svoju budúcnosť, sa teraz celý čas bála.
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.
Ale stále dúfala, pretože bola zamilovaná do sýrskeho utečenca menom Bassem. Bassem sa v Egypte tiež len predieral životom a raz povedal Doae: „Poďme do Európy, hľadať azyl, bezpečie. Ja budem pracovať a ty môžeš študovať, prísľub nového života." A tak požiadal jej otca o jej ruku.
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.
Ale obaja vedeli, že dostať sa do Európy znamená riskovať život, plaviť sa cez Stredozemné more, vložiť svoj osud do rúk pašerákov, známych svojou krutosťou. A Doau voda desila. Odjakživa. Nikdy sa totiž nenaučila plávať.
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.
Bol august a už 2 000 ľudí zomrelo počas plavby cez Stredozemné more, ale Doaa mala priateľa, ktorý sa dostal až do severnej Európy, a pomyslela si: „Možno sa to podarí aj nám." Takže sa opýtala rodičov, či by mohli ísť, a oni, po bolestivom rozhovore, súhlasili, a tak dal Bassem svoje životné úspory – 2 500 dolárov za každého – pašerákom.
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.
Bola sobota ráno, keď im zavolali, a tak nasadli na autobus na pláž, stovky ľudí tam už čakali. Malými loďkami ich previezli na rybársku loď, tlačilo sa ich tam 500, 300 v podpalubí, 200 na palube. Boli tam Sýrčania, Palestínčania, Afričania, moslimovia a kresťania, 100 detí, vrátane Sandry, len šesťročnej, a Masy, 18-mesačnej. Na lodi sa tlačili rodiny, plece vedľa pleca, chodidlo vedľa chodidla. Doaa sedela, s nohami pritlačenými k hrudi Bassem ju držal za ruku.
Day two on the water, they were sick with worry and sick to their stomachs from the rough sea.
Dva dni na mori, plné strachu a nevoľnosti z morskej choroby.
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."
Na tretí deň mala Doaa predtuchu. Povedala Bassemu: „Obávam sa, že to nezvládneme. Bojím sa, že sa loď potopí.“ A Bassem jej odpovedal, „Prosím, buď trpezlivá. Dostaneme sa do Švédska, vezmeme sa a budeme mať budúcnosť."
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.
Na štvrtý deň začali byť pasažieri lode rozrušení. Pýtali sa kapitána: „Kedy tam budeme?" Povedal im, aby držali hubu a urážal ich. „O 16 hodín budeme na brehoch Talianska," povedal. Boli slabí a unavení. Čoskoro videli približujúcu sa loď – menšia loď s 10 mužmi, ktorí na nich začali hulákať, chŕliť nadávky, hádzať palice, žiadať ich, aby vystúpili z lode a presadli na menšiu loď, menej spôsobilú na plavbu po mori. Rodičia boli vystrašení, obávali sa o svoje deti, a kolektívne odmietli opustiť loď. Nahnevaní muži náhlivo odplávali, no o pol hodiny boli naspäť a úmyselne začali prerážať dieru do boku Doainej lode, len kúsok pod miestom, kde s Bassemom sedeli. A počula ako kričia: „Nech vás ryby zožerú!" A začali sa smiať, keď sa loď prevrátila a potápala.
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.
300 ľudí v podpalubí nemalo šancu. Doaa sa držala potápajúcej sa lode a s hrôzou sledovala, ako malé dieťa rozsekala lodná vrtuľa. Bassem ju prosil: „Prosím, pusti sa, inak ťa vtiahne prúd a aj teba tá vrtuľa zabije. A spomeňte si – Doaa nevedela plávať. Ale pustila sa a začala hýbať rukami a nohami, mysliac si, „Takto sa pláva." A akoby zázrakom, Bassem našiel plávacie koleso. Také ako dávate deťom, keď sa hrajú v bazéne alebo v pokojnom mori. Doaa sa vyšplhala do kolesa, a jej ruky a nohy trčali do strán. Bassem bol dobrý plavec, držal ju za ruku a šliapal vodu. Okolo nich plávali mŕtvoly. Okolo 100 ľudí prežilo, snažili sa vytvoriť skupinky a modlili sa za záchranu. Ale prešiel deň a nikto neprišiel, niektorí ľudia to vzdali, a tak Doaa a Bassem videli, ako si muži v diaľke vyzliekli plávacie vesty a klesli ku dnu.
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.
Prišiel za nimi muž, s malým dieťaťom na pleciach 9-mesačná Malek. Aby sa udržal na vode, držal sa benzínovej bandasky a povedal im: „Bojím sa, že neprežijem. Som príliš slabý. A nemám viac odvahu." A podal malú Malek Bassemu a Doai a oni ju vysadili do záchranného kolesa. Takže odteraz boli traja, Doaa, Bassem a Malek.
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.
A dovoľte mi urobiť prestávku v tomto príbehu a opýtať sa: prečo utečenci ako Doaa takto riskujú? Milióny utečencov žijú v exilových táboroch. Žijú v krajinách [utekajúc] pred vojnou, ktorá pretrváva už štvrtý rok. Ak by sa aj chceli vrátiť, nemôžu. Ich domovy, ich firmy, ich mestečká a mestá boli úplne zničené. Toto je mesto, ktoré je svetovým kultúrnym dedičstvom UNESCO, mesto Homs v Sýrii. A tak ľudia aj naďalej utekajú do susedných krajín a my pre nich v púšti budujeme utečenecké tábory. Žijú v nich stovky tisíc ľudí a tisícky a tisícky ďalších, milióny, žijú v mestách. A komunity, susedné krajiny, ktoré ich kedysi vítali s otvorenou náručou, sú ochromené. Jednoducho tam nie je dostatok škôl, vody, kanalizácie. Ani bohaté európske krajiny nie sú schopné čeliť takému prísunu ľudí bez obrovských investícií. Vojna v Sýrii vyhnala takmer štyri milióny ľudí z ich domovov a viac ako sedem miliónov je ich na úteku v rámci krajiny. To znamená, že viac ako polovica sýrskeho obyvateľstva bola donútená utiecť. Späť k tým susedným krajinám, kde ich je tak veľa. Majú pocit, že bohatšie krajiny spravili príliš málo na ich podporu. A dni sa menia na mesiace a mesiace na roky. A pobyt utečencov by mal byť dočasný.
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.
Naspäť k Doae a Bassemu vo vode. Bol to ich druhý deň a Bassem začínal byť príliš unavený. A teraz to bolo na Doae povedať mu: „Láska, prosím drž sa viery v našu budúcnosť. Zvládneme to." A on jej odpovedal: „Prepáč mi, láska, že som ťa dostal do tejto situácie. Nikdy som nikoho nemiloval tak ako teba." A odovzdal sa moru. A Doaa videla, ako sa láska jej života pred jej očami utopila.
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.
Neskôr v ten deň za Doaou prišla matka 18-mesačného dievčatka menom Masa. To je dievčatko, ktorého fotku som vám predtým ukázala, v záchrannej veste. Jej staršia sestra Sandra sa práve utopila a jej matka vedela, že musí urobiť všetko, čo je v jej silách, aby svoju dcéru zachránila. A tak povedala Doae: „Prosím, vezmi moje dieťa. Nech je tvojou súčasťou, ja neprežijem." A potom odišla a utopila sa.
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.
Takže Doaa, len 19-ročná utečenkyňa, ktorá sa desila vody, ktorá nevedela plávať, mala zrazu na starosti dve malé deti. Ktoré boli smädné, hladné a rozrušené, a robila všetko pre to, aby ich zabavila, spievala im, hovorila verše z Koránu. Telá plávajúce okolo nich boli nafúknuté a černali. Cez deň pieklo slnko. V noci bolo zima a hmla. Bolo to desivé. Štvrtý deň vo vode Doaa vyzerala asi takto, na plávacom kolese s dvomi deťmi.
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.
Na štvrtý deň za ňou prišla žena a požiadala ju, aby vzala ďalšie dieťa – malého chlapca, len štvorročného. Keď si ho Doaa vzala a jeho matka sa utopila, povedala vzlykajúcemu chlapcovi: „Len odišla, nájsť vodu a jedlo." Ale jeho srdce onedlho prestalo biť, a tak ho Doaa musela pustiť do vody.
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.
Neskôr v ten deň sa pozrela s nádejou na oblohu, pretože videla dve lietadlá križovať oblohu. A začala mávať rukami dúfajúc, že ju uvidia, ale lietadlá čoskoro zmizli.
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.
Ale v to poobedie, keď zapadalo slnko, zbadala obchodnú loď. A povedela: „Prosím, bože, nech ma zachránia." Mávala rukami a mala pocit, že dve hodiny kričala. A nastala tma, kým ju konečne našiel svetlomet. Hodili jej lano, užasnutí, že vidia ženu držiacu dve malé bábätká.
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.
Vytiahli ich do lode, dali im kyslík a prikrývky a prišla ich vyzdvihnúť grécka helikoptéra, ktorá ich zobrala na ostrov Kréta.
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.
Ale Doaa sa pozrela dole a spýtala sa, „A kde je Malek?" Povedali jej, že dieťa to neprežilo, poslednýkrát vydýchlo na lodnej klinike. Ale Doaa si bola istá, že keď ich vytiahli do záchrannej lode, malé dievčatko sa usmievalo.
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.
Len 11 ľudí z 500 stroskotanie prežilo. Nikdy sa nekonalo medzinárodné vyšetrovanie. Bolo niekoľko reportáží o masovej vražde v mori, hrozná tragédia, ale len na jeden deň. Potom sa noviny presunuli inam.
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.
Medzitým, v detskej nemocnici na Kréte, malá Masa bojovala o život. Bola dehydrovaná. Zlyhávali jej obličky. Hladina cukru v krvi bola nebezpečne nízka. Doktori robili všetko čo mohli, aby ju zachránili, a grécke sestričky ju ani na minútu nenechali samú, držali ju, objímali, spievali jej. Moji kolegovia ju tiež navštevovali a hovorili jej milé slová v arabčine. Na prekvapenie, Masa prežila.
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.
A onedlho grécke noviny písali o zázračnom dieťati, ktoré prežilo štyri dni na mori, bez jedla a vody, a z celej krajiny sa valili ponuky na jej adopciu.
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.
Medzitým bola Doaa v inej nemocnici na Kréte, vychudnutá, dehydrovaná. Egyptská rodina ju vzala k sebe domov, hneď ako ju prepustili z nemocnice. A informácie o jej prežití sa rýchlo šírili a jej telefónne číslo sa objavilo na Facebooku. Začali jej prechádzať správy.
"Doaa, do you know what happened to my brother? My sister? My parents? My friends? Do you know if they survived?"
„Doaa, vieš, čo sa stalo s mojím bratom? Mojou sestrou? Rodičmi? Priateľmi? Nevieš, či prežili?"
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.
Jedna zo správ bola: „Myslím, že si zachránila moju neter, Masu." A obsahovala túto fotku. Bola od Masinho strýka, sýrskeho utečenca, ktorý sa s rodinou a Masinou sestrou dostal do Švédska. Dúfame, že onedlho sa s ním Masa stretne vo Švédsku, dovtedy sa o ňu starajú v krásnom sirotinci v Aténach.
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.
A Doaa? Informácie o jej prežití sa šírili tiež. Média písali o tejto krehkej žene a nevedeli si predstaviť, ako to celé mohla prežiť, za takých podmienok, a zachrániť ďalší život. Aténska akadémia, jedna z najprestížnejších gréckych inštitúcií, jej odovzdala cenu za statočnosť, a zaslúži si všetku slávu a zaslúži si druhú šancu. Stále chce ísť do Švédska. Chce sa tam znovu stretnúť so svojou rodinou. Chce tam dopraviť svoju mamu, otca a mladších súrodencov, dostať ich preč z Egypta, a verím, že uspeje. Chcela by sa stať právničkou alebo političkou alebo niekým, kto pomôže bojovať proti bezpráviu. Doaa je výnimočnou preživšou.
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.
Ale nedá mi nespýtať sa: čo ak by nemusela tak riskovať? Prečo si tým celým musela prejsť? Prečo nie je legálny spôsob, ako by mohla prísť do Európy študovať? Prečo nemohla ísť Masa do Švédska lietadlom? Prečo si Bassem nemohol nájsť prácu? Prečo neexistuje program presídlenia pre sýrskych utečencov, obete najhoršej vojny našich čias? Svet to urobil pre Vietnamcov v 70. rokoch. Prečo nie teraz? Prečo sa len tak málo investuje v susedných krajinách, v ktorých je tak veľa utečencov? A prečo, základná otázka, sa robí tak málo, aby sa zastavila vojna, prenasledovanie a chudoba, ktorá týchto ľudí ženie na brehy Európy? Kým nebudú tieto problémy vyriešené, ľudia sa budú aj naďalej plaviť a hľadať bezpečie a azyl.
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.
A čo sa stane ďalej? Do veľkej miery je to rozhodnutie Európy. A ja rozumiem všeobecnému strachu. Ľudia sa boja o svoju bezpečnosť, ekonomiku, zmenu kultúry. Ale je to dôležitejšie ako zachraňovať životy? Pretože to základné, čo presahuje všetko ostatné, je všeobecná ľudskosť. Nikto, kto uteká pred vojnou alebo prenasledovaním, by nemal zomrieť v mori, idúc do bezpečia.
(Applause)
(potlesk)
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.
A jedna vec je istá, že žiadny utečenec by nebol na tých nebezpečných lodiach, ak by sa mal dobre tam, kde žije. A žiadny migrant by sa nepodujal na túto nebezpečnú cestu, ak by mal dostatok jedla pre seba a svoje deti. A nikto by nedal svoje životné úspory do rúk smutne slávnych pašerákov, ak by mohol emigrovať legálne.
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?
Môžme sa v mene malej Masy a Doai uistiť, že Bassema a tých 500 ľudí, ktorí sa tiež utopili, nezomrelo zbytočne? Mohlo by nás to inšpirovať k tomu, aby sme žili vo svete, kde na každom živote záleží?
Thank you.
Ďakujem.
(Applause)
(potlesk)