Life on the Fringes of Europe for Thousands of Migrants

Synopsis

In northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, a few hundred people live in this abandoned factory, facing freezing temperatures. Most of the residents are men from Afghanistan who build fires using whatever materials they can find. This factory is just one of many shelters where migrants stay as they attempt to cross into Croatia. Over the past few years, Bosnia has become a stop for refugees, with up to 10,000 people stuck in the country due to tightened European Union borders. Many families, including Afghan families seeking better education for their daughters, reside in abandoned farmhouses near the Croatian border. They describe their daily struggle to leave Bosnia as a 'game,' often facing illegal pushbacks by Croatian authorities, which deny these allegations. The situation has worsened since 2016 when borders in the Balkans were closed, forcing migrants to navigate more dangerous routes.