Within the project #StatelessJourneys supported by the European Network on Statelessness, we talked to a woman from Somalia:

"I have just arrived in Serbia and my plan is to stay here for a short period in one of the refugee reception centres. After that, I will continue my journey to one of the EU countries where I have relatives.

In Somalia I lived with my parents and three brothers in our family house. I also have two sisters who are married and left home. Life in Somalia is not easy. War is never ending; people are poor and starving. This is the reason why I left my country. I used to sell some things at the market and was very poor. It was impossible for me, being an uneducated woman, to find a better job. I finished primary school, but I never obtained a certificate. The reason for this is that I never had an ID card. I was born at home, like all my brothers and sisters. Even when you get ill, you just need to pay for a doctor. There is no need for you to have a document. I did not travel outside my village. Most people from my village are without documents. I have never tried to obtain one. There was no need for it. 

In Somalia I entered in a boat. The smuggler told me that we were going towards Turkey. I do not know how long I was on that boat. After that we walked through some lands. I did not know where I was. When we finally reached Istanbul, I stayed in a friend’s place. I did not have problems while I was staying there. No one knew that I was in the house. After two months, I continued my journey with a group of other refugees. From Turkey we went to Greece, where we were hiding for four days and then we passed through Macedonia and finally I reached Serbia, where I am now. I did not encounter any problems on my way. The police did not catch us. When we arrived in Belgrade, for the first time I spoke with people from humanitarian organisations who gave me the information I needed for staying here in Belgrade. Before that my source of information was the people with whom I travelled."