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Outlook: My teacher became my torturer

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Black and white image of Mirsad Solakovic and his family

05/10/2021 GMT

My teacher became my torturer

BBC World Service - Outlook, My teacher became my torturer

Mirsad Solakovic was just 13 when his teacher came to school and pointed a gun at him

When Mirsad Solakovic’s teacher turned against him at the start of the Bosnian war, he was traumatised by what happened and had to learn to put his trust in teachers again.

Mirsad Solakovic grew up in a Bosnian Muslim family during the 1980s, in a country where people from a range of different ethnic groups and religions lived side by side. This harmony was shattered for Mirsad at the age of 13, when his Serbian teacher turned up at school one day in military uniform and pointed a gun at him. As war descended on his town, he and his family were rounded up and Mirsad was singled out and tortured by that very same teacher. They were then sent to a concentration camp on the school grounds as part of a wave of ethnic cleansing. They escaped to England as refugees, but Mirsad was by now experiencing severe PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He found it hard to adjust, suffered bullying and wouldn't speak, until two of his new teachers asked if he would talk about his life in the school assembly. It would be a life-changing moment for Mirsad. He’s written a book about his experiences called The Boy Who Said Nothing.

Romy McCloskey is an American costume designer and butterfly enthusiast whose embroidery skills came in handy when one of her beloved butterflies suffered a broken wing. This story was first broadcast in January 2018.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Picture: Mirsad Solakovic (left) with his family
Credit: Mirsad Solakovic

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