No Man's Land

Every year, hundreds of children and teenagers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa flee their homelands to Denmark, and by no means are all of them issued a residence permit. They spend their time waiting for a decision in special refugee centers, and 40 of them, ranging in ages from 10 to 18, live in the Jægerspris refugee center. They kill time playing table soccer, horsing around and joking with each other, or chatting on Danish dating sites. But life in no man's land is full of frustrations, too. It's not always easy when the final judgment comes, and it's difficult for many to understand. And that includes the social workers who are so devoted to these boys – boys who have to grow up much too soon. When an Afghan teenager is asked whether he would want to return to live with his family if it turned out that they were alive and well, he replies, "Imagine if a 14-year-old Danish boy with no parents had to travel to Afghanistan and live by himself. Would he get by? I don't think so. So, yes, if my family is found I'd love to go back to them."