The Sleeping Children
Kerning Cultures
Kerning Cultures Network
4.9 • 529 Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2022
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 2012, a Yazidi family fled to Sweden in the hope of a better life, far from persecution. After nearly six troubled years struggling to seek asylum without proper paperwork, their traumatised daughter “fell asleep” - and didn't wake up again for another five years.
For half a decade she has been in a coma-like state, a condition called resignation syndrome that afflicts thousands of other asylum-seeking children in Sweden.
Producers Zeina Dowidar and Andrei Popoviciu travel to Sweden and meet the families, doctors and social workers who are trying to figure out what this mysterious illness is, and how to treat it.
This episode was produced by Zeina Dowidar and Andrei Popoviciu. It was edited by Dana Ballout with support from Alex Atack and Nadeen Shaker. Fact checking on this episode was by Deena Sabry, audio editing by Youssef Douazou, and sound design and mixing by Mohamed Khreizat. Translation by Amina Khalil.
A special thanks to all of the families we spoke to, as well as Dr. Elisabeth Hultcrantz, Dr. Karl Salinn and Dr. Debra Stein for speaking with us for the episode.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.
Find a transcript for this episode at our website.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we start this episode, we wanted to note that there's some descriptions of sexual assaults in this episode, as well as mentions of trauma, especially when it comes to refugee issues. |
| 0:11.6 | And maybe one that you want to hear without kids around. |
| 0:15.4 | So if we can start, if you can tell me your name and how old you are. |
| 0:23.0 | My name is D. I'm 14 years old. |
| 0:31.4 | Dilan or D-Lam? Okay. Let's try that again. So what's your name and how old are you? My name is Dilan, I'm 14 years old. Dilan is speaking to our producer Zena Duidhar. Dilan is not her real name. |
| 0:38.3 | We're using a fake name for her and her family's protection. |
| 0:41.2 | And how long have you been in Sweden? |
| 0:43.6 | 10 years old. |
| 0:45.3 | You were 10 when you came to Sweden? |
| 0:47.1 | She's still working on her English at school. |
| 0:49.3 | Her Swedish and her mother tongue Kurdish are much better. |
| 0:52.2 | Also, if you want to reply in Kurdish, so you can talk more, you can, and then she'll translate |
| 0:57.8 | for you. |
| 0:58.9 | Okay. Yes, Zena spoke to her through a translator and asked Dilan if she can recall some of her favorite book every day with my sister and I say, please, can you wake up, you and me go into school, but she don't listen me. |
| 1:24.0 | This is Dilan's mother. |
| 1:26.7 | She's telling us about when her other daughter, Leila, first started showing symptoms of an illness |
| 1:32.6 | that would soon change their lives forever. |
| 1:37.0 | This summer in 2017, she was not feeling good at all. |
| 1:41.5 | And even one day when she was playing with her sister outside, |
| 1:44.5 | because she was overthinking too much and she had a bad headache, |
| 1:49.2 | so her nose started to bleed. |
| 1:51.4 | And when her sister tried to come and let me know, |
... |
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