Aliyah Hajek
- Aliya Hayek © Handicap International
Aliyah Hajek (Yohmour village, Nabatiyyah province, South Lebanon)
Wednesday 30th August 2006, at dawn. Although the best time for harvesting tobacco had largely passed, Aliyah and her sister Husniyah went to their tobacco field to salvage some of their crop. Tobacco is the only source of income for their family, other than financial contributions of relatives abroad.
In the field they noticed some strange objects with ribbons, but they watched their step and continued. When they finished collecting their crops, they put the bag in the boot of the car; it exploded! A submunition had probably got entangled in the tobacco leaves and was set off when the bag was thrown into the car. It was Aliyah who was nearest - she had put the bag in the car and had to be sent to the hospital.
Luckily Aliyah's face remained largely protected by the open boot of the car, but she suffered very severe shrapnel injuries in her right leg and lighter ones in her left one. Several operations were necessary to remove shrapnel from her stomach and waist area, and she lost two fingers of her right hand.
Despite some small leg injuries, Husniyah was not taken to hospital.
Aliyah is part of a family of 11 people and is unmarried. She and Husniya live at their elderly mother’s house. The income from their tobacco crop has to feed the three of them and another sibling who has a chronic illness.
Because of her injuries, Aliyah may never be able to work in the tobacco fields again, making the family completely dependent on the assistance of relatives abroad. Her biggest worry is that other people will get hurt by the bombs.
Collected by Habouba Aoun (Landmine Resource Center) and Katleen Maes (Handicap International) on 6th September 2006.
