by Natasha Dokovska
- Macedonia -

“I have seven children, I don't work, neither does my wife. For many years I thought about selling my kidney so I could give my children a better life, but just recently I found someone to buy it,” says 40 year old Ekrem. He explains that it was not a difficult choice because the 1,000 Euro ($1,465 USD) he got as compensation for the lost kidney will enable him to mend some holes in his home, pay electricity bills, and get enough firewood to last for the rest of the winter.

“Fortunately this was not a cold winter so we managed to keep warm with what we've got, otherwise we would have frozen to death,” says Ekrem.

Ekrem is one of the many Macedonian citizens who see selling their organs as a chance to save themselves from poverty. He does not consider the consequences. According to a Macedonian organization that works with people with kidney diseases, for Ekrem and about a hundred other Roma citizens in the country, it is the only way to offer a modest life for their children.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

A scandal recently occurred at the Macedonian Parliament on September 28th, when the Albanian members of parliament physically attacked each other. Even worse, the fight escalated into a bigger brawl between the police (who are much too fond of exercising their power) and the well-meaning journalists who were just doing their job by covering the events in a professional manner.

• Deputies of the Macedonian Assembly regroup just moments after
violence broke out in parliament.
Photograph by Robert Atanasovski. •

The melee erupted on the heels of a heated discussion over election laws (that had just passed in the Macedonian Parliament) when one of the Albanian representatives made disparaging remarks about the Albanians from the opposition party.

When the insulted Albanians realized Abduladi Vejseli was talking about them, they responded with physical force: they began shoving and pushing each other in front of everyone present.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

19-year old Natasha Kmetovska and 10-year old Heroldina Iljazi both died last year after being hit by stray bullets; their killers have yet to be found. Natasha was killed at the New Year’s celebration held in downtown Skopje, Macedonia’s capital. Little Heroldina was struck and killed in her own yard by a stray bullet fired during a wedding celebration in her neighborhood. In both cases the police say they are continuing their search for the perpetrators, but they persist in classifying the deaths as accidental rather than criminal.

• Photograph by Jonathan Sopko •

An 11-year old girl was recently injured in the Albanian-dominated Gazi Baba settlement in Skopje, where firing guns at family celebrations is steeped in tradition; there isn’t a single celebration without gunfire. The girl was playing on the balcony of her home when she was hit in the back by a stray bullet. She was immediately rushed to Red City Hospital where doctors began treating her injuries. She is still fighting for her life.

Only one day later, three-year-old Jana was walking with her mother through the yard of her daycare center when she was shot in the foot by a stray bullet. She too was sent to the hospital, but despite her doctors’ best efforts, the injury will leave her disabled for life.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

• Fashion boutique in Thessaloniki, Greece. Photograph by Etienne Cazin •

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

In the past, if a woman wasn’t a virgin, she would surreptitiously pour animal blood on the bed after consummating her marriage. Today, this tradition has been replaced in Macedonia with a more sophisticated ruse – hymen repair surgery. This procedure is recognized medically as plastic surgery and is easily performed, taking only thirty minutes to one hour to repair a broken hymen.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

The sounds of the tambour and clarinet - loud Gipsy music – throngs of young people dressed in traditional costume, a wood table piled high with food and plenty of dry red wine…this was the backdrop for a marriage between Esma and Redxep last month in the first Roma community in Europe, Shuto Orizari, located in the northern part of Skopje, the capital of Macedonia.

• Romani woman and her child in Eastern Europe. Photograph by Lori Scott •

“Esma was my friend; she lives near our house. Esma [did] not want to be married, but she was [forced] to by her father, Ramce. He sold [Esma] to the parents of Redxep,” say Resmija, one of Esma’s friends.

The neighbors of Esma’s family claim that she was sold for 1000 Euros (approximately $1,300 USD); they confirm that all of Esma’s other sisters have been sold off as well. In a country where the average monthly income is around $690 (USD), Esma’s bride-price will certainly help sustain the family. They say that Esma’s parents haven’t worked for ten years, and that this is one means of survival.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

“…Even after getting out of prison I’ll be on the streets again…”

“I’ve been in prison already seven months and ought to serve my 36 months sentence. I was convicted for prostitution…I can’t believe what I’m charged for! Those people who charged me, have they asked themselves how would I have lived if I hadn’t been a prostitute? Well, this is my own individual choice: to earn money and to enjoy! When I come out of prison I’m still going to do the same job…”

These are the words of a 20-year old female prisoner. She is one of about 50 women at the Idrizovo prison in the Macedonian capital, Skopje. Her story is similar to the stories of the women who share their days in prison with her, or as she refers to them—her colleagues. But, unlike the others, she doesn’t give up. She speaks out all the time. Her temper is high-spirited and she craves activity. But, unlike her, most of the women prisoners are introverted; they don’t want to talk much, don’t like visits, and don’t believe strangers.

They simply don’t trust anyone.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

“Sometimes we’re locked up in the tailor’s shop. Sometimes we’re not given free time to go to toilet…The owner, who is Greek, wants everyone to work overtime, even though we’re already at the sewing machine for more than 10 hours. Nobody can leave, because if you do, you’ll lose the work,” says Biljana Smilevska, one of the seamstresses at the private textile department, Somi Velteks, in Veles.

This is only one example of how women in the private textile industry in Macedonia are exploited. According to trade unions in Macedonia, 80% of the workers employed in the textile industry are female.

Salaries in the textile industry are among the lowest in the country. Most of the women in the industry work more than 12 hours per day for only 60 euro per month. It’s not enough to even survive in a country where the average salary is 200 euros.

by Natasha Dokovska
Macedonia

In Macedonia, one in three women is the victim of domestic violence, and one in four is the victim of gun violence.

“I was beaten up by my husband for the first time soon after our wedding. I thought that it was normal. Soon after that, his verbal and physical assaults became more and more frequent. During the last 12 years of our marriage, my husband harassed me literally every day and beat both me and my children. On several occasions he chased me out of the house with a gun in his hand. I did not have anywhere to go and did not dare to leave my home. My parents were not able to help, so I had to bear the harassment.”