'War exacts a heavy price long after the tanks have been silenced and the sniper rifles put to rest,' writes Nadja Halilbegovich
My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diarymagine you are 12 and suddenly catapulted out of sleep by explosions that make the whole building quiver. Your mother screams and swoops you out of bed, and seconds later, you are stumbling down a long, dark stairwell teeming with panicked neighbors and crying children. You race down to the dingy basement, which just days ago served as storage—not salvation.
I have seven small pieces of shrapnel still lodged in my legs from the wounds I sustained at 13. It was a rare peaceful morning, and after much pleading, my mom let me go outside for a few minutes. An artillery shell exploded nearby and a rain of searing metal pelted my legs. The images of that day—the sight of bloodied tiles and the hospital brimming with the dead and wounded—have not yet begun to fade.
Recently, the war quite literally began stirring inside my flesh. In the past, I’ve rarely had an ache in my legs, but now I felt pricked and needled by the shrapnel. This caused me more discomfort than serious pain, but it also triggered a litany of emotions. It has not been easy to forge peace with these silent stowaways nor to accept the fact that a surgery to remove them would likely cause more damage.
A young Nadja, sitting on the rubble of the inside of the National Public Library in Sarajevo in 1996.In addition, I must tend to the emotional anguish that has stirred as well: the 13-year-old girl inside me is still bandaged and bedridden, beating the mattress with her tiny fists out of fear and frustration of being unable to move and seek cover as the mortar shells pummel her neighborhood. This leads me to another heartbreaking realization: you remain a child of war no matter your age.
I have spent most of my life advocating for children of war by writing and speaking about my experiences. Through my work, I share lessons on individual responsibility and resilience. I impart warnings about the fragility of peace, the importance of empathy and our appreciation for the things we take for granted. When I watch the news reports or read about millions of children caught in war, I see a familiar terror in their eyes and a desperate plea to live.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine war: Ten Russian soldiers accused of war crimes in Bucha named by Ukraine prosecutorProsecutor General Iryna Venediktova said Russian President Vladimir Putin bears responsibility for the soldiers' actions as their commander-in-chief.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 65 of the invasionThe Ukrainian capital was rocked by Russian missile strikes while the UN secretary general visited
Read more »
Ukraine war: UN chief visits towns where evidence of mass killings uncoveredUkraine said Russia's offensive in the east has picked up momentum, with several towns coming under intense attack as Moscow's forces attempt to surround Ukrainian troops.
Read more »
In Russia, Putin is struggling to hide the true toll of his war🗣️ 'The Moscow elite will soon have to face up to the damage wreaked on soldiers’ morale by the Putin regime’s intrinsic corruption, cronyism and callousness' | Writes Jade McGlynn
Read more »
Will Russian war criminals face justice?“The tricky part is going to be identifying who is responsible for planning and carrying out and initiating this war.” OonaHathaway, a professor of law, discusses Ukraine’s fight for justice, on “The Economist Asks” podcast
Read more »