Silent tears of little Smajo

Out of stupid curiosity for the current events, I did something very unusual and watched TV news last evening, just to see something that deeply upset me - sandwiched somewhere between the news about Ukraine, political turmoil (real and imagined) in Croatia, war court in Den Hague, Academy Awards and other really unimportant things, there was a heartbreaking report about 4-year old kid who was beaten to death by his family in Bosnia.

Little Smajo was just 4 years old - his mother left the husband and had run away with her two children in another home, this time someone she met while working in her fast food job. While 5-year old daughter somehow fared better, her little bother got regularly beaten up by stepfather, his parents and even his own mother  by fists, while rug in his mouth muffled his cries. Mother knew this and she also knew that her new boyfriend has a serious drug problems, beating little unfortunate boy on every chance - she knew this and did nothing to protect it. Apparently in his new home, poor boy was reminding everyone on his real father, so they beat him daily  up until they actually killed him with beatings. The TV program continued with news report, lottery and advertisements while I cried my heart out - tears falling on my kitchen table - out of sorrow for this little 4 year kid who had nobody to protect him and nowhere to run. He must have been suffering terribly, with all this angry grown-ups around him blaming him for something he did not understand and beating him mercilessly every day, with rug in his mouth and tears dripping down his face. Parents, grandparents, sadistic stepfather - I don't care for these people, whatever punishment they got nothing can ever erase the crime and I hope it will follow them for the rest of their lives. But my heart goes to little Smajo and I cried for him. This is something I can't just forget and leave behind, this will follow me for days and nights now. Just too sad for words.

p.s.
Couldn't even sleep last night, thinking about the kid all the time and this morning read some more about it - it all comes down to the fact that people are unwilling to actually react, from locals in the neighbourhood who were all aware about children living in a squalor, to a nurse in a local ambulance who must have seen bruises on a kid when he was brought with broken arm - no one reacted! "It is nobody's business" they say like its something happening on another planet and not close to them - now all of these people claim they are heartbroken but they didn't call social services or police or anybody to help the children on time. In my opinion those neighbours are as guilty as sadistic family, because they knew something is wrong but closed their eyes and covered their ears. The real father came to take kids away but the law was on mother's side - just horrible, horrible. And than TV continues on about something as superficial as "Oscars" and evening gowns, like entertainment is all there is to it. I cried again this morning, poor little kid.


Update:

The name of this little boy was Smajo Ćesir.
I am so upset by all this that can't stop thinking about it & crying for days now.
He was buried in a little grave in Sarajevo. Just saw a interview with his father, who appears to be deeply unhappy man - with clearly visible traces of alcoholism, his grief coming not only from death of little boy but from general sadness about the whole state of his life. "There is nothing I can do now" he repeats constantly, with occasional spark of anger bursting, but its obvious that he can't even help himself not to mention anybody else. "But there is still a little girl, you must live for her" reminds him journalist "ah yes, little girl" he repeats - maybe poor guy is in shock. I don't know, its clear that this guy was not a particularly fit or responsible father - but he was a father nevertheless and he did tried to take his children from that monstrous mother, however by the law she had custody of the children. Mind you, this guy drinks - and this is probably the reason why the mother left him with kids in the first place. He must be aware of this. From what I see, he feels sorry for himself - and is tortured with idea that boy was murdered because he looked like him. My impression is that he will probably not give up drinking but continue with it, because he is too weak and haunted with his own guilt in all this.



There is no photograph left of little Smajo. His mother, stepfather and grandparents were not the type to take pictures - in police custody now, grandfather claims on the day of the murder he was collecting & selling some loose metal pieces, than bought some beer, this is how they lived. Poverty itself is not a crime - people can be poor and still warm hearted and protective, but this little boy was serving as a hitting bag for both mother and stepfather, probably even grandparents. As the details of all sorts of bruises found on his body leaked out in the press, the whole country is outraged and in tears - neighbors claim they knew "something was wrong" but they dared not to intervene. The people in the ambulance, where he was brought with a broken arm also did not notice any bruises or anything else. Its heartbreaking that people are so self-concerned and not interested to help a child who is obviously in a trouble. Here is a photo of the house where Smajo lived and next to the door is the pair of little shoes, this is all left from him, no photo, no memento, nothing. I am so much affected with this story that I can't stop crying about it since. I only hope that all these people will rot in prison for the rest of their lives. And if they ever get out, that someone will beat them to death, as they did to little boy.

p.s.
Noticed strange thing - when I attempted to watch some TV serial, it turned out to be crime story and in the very first moment there was so much blood and brutality that I turned it off. The story above affected me so much that now I realize how much we are brainwashed into crime as entertainment - no, I don't find it entertaining at all and don't want to see any more of it. Perhaps this is the reason why most of my friends shrug this off and it does not concern them, people are feed with this on daily basis and can't be bothered - I am a grown-up, 44 years old man and will not accept evil, brutality and ugliness as part of life.