Since October, the Çerçizi family has been living in constant anxiety and uncertainty, after losing all contact with their son, Mateo Çerçizi, born in 2004. The young man left his home in the hope of emigrating to Germany, in search of a better life and a more secure future.
Mateo's father became part of the show 'With an Open Heart' today on News24 of moderator and author, Evis Ahmeti, while tearfully recounting the day of his departure. He said that the difficult decision was dictated by the difficult economic conditions and the inability to build a life in his country.
They say that Mateo was filled with hope, but also fear, as he took the path of emigration, leaving behind his family, home and everything familiar. The father said that the last phone call with his son was in November, while in December he had called his brother.
The family claims that they have no information about his fate and their suspicions are grave: they fear that Mateo may have been detained by the authorities and is in prison, but the lack of any confirmation makes the situation even more painful.
"Mateo said; I'm unemployed. He told me not to stay here anymore. I told him; come work with dad. In Fier he worked piece jobs. Here I stayed inside because I didn't feel bad. He had been locked up for the last 5-6 months, his friends had hit me in the face. They teased the boy, bullied him. Everything affected him a little, because we were poor. Then he made some friends in Fier and told me; Dad, I could get killed, but I'm going to leave. Because there is no work here. He was depressed. He felt sorry for me and wanted to make money. I told him; come on, we'll work with dad. We'll get through it all. I didn't ask for help, because it was hard for him. I tried to work and I told him; Dad, I'll take care of the bad things. We worked. And my mother worked a lot. She works in the greenhouses. She says; I'll kill myself. I tell her; calm down, because the son will come. The son left in October. He took us in November on the phone and told us; Dad, I'm fine, I'm working. I don't remember what date it was when he left. He told me he was going to leave. He took 100 thousand lek and left. How he left, I don't know! He took his passport, his driver's license and his clothes. I don't know if the boy left the house before. The woman didn't open up to me much, because she was afraid I would say something. The boy told me that he worked as a waiter. He said that he lived with some friends from Fier in Germany. The boy knows Italian because his brother did. He was not even 16 years old, at school in Italy, to do documents. I had him there with school," he said.
