2025
The Experiences and Well-being of Child Refugees from the Yugoslavian War in Exile in Czechoslovakia
MACKOVÁ, Lucie and Andrea PREISSOVÁ KREJČÍBasic information
Original name
The Experiences and Well-being of Child Refugees from the Yugoslavian War in Exile in Czechoslovakia
Authors
MACKOVÁ, Lucie and Andrea PREISSOVÁ KREJČÍ
Edition
Migrant Children and Youth: Wellbeing and Integration Around the World, p. 39-53, 15 pp. Sociological studies of children and youth, 2025
Publisher
Emerald Publishing Limited
Other information
Language
English
Type of outcome
Chapter(s) of a specialized book
Confidentiality degree
is not subject to a state or trade secret
Publication form
electronic version available online
Organization unit
Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
ISBN
978-1-83549-604-6
Keywords in English
Child refugees; exile; well-being; Yugoslavia; Czechoslovakia
Changed: 27/11/2025 20:04, Mgr. Andrea Preissová Krejčí, Ph.D.
Abstract
In the original language
This study examines the experiences of child refugees who fled the former Yugoslavia and temporarily stayed in Czechoslovakia during the early 1990s. Adults who were once these child refugees share their exile experience and how this shaped their later life paths. In 2023 and 2024, we conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 19 former child refugees to understand their perspectives. All participants had spent several months in the former Czechoslovakia during the Yugoslav wars, and they were between 7 and 17 years old at that time. While attempting to discuss the effect of exile on child refugees’ well-being, we delve into three different phases: remembering home before leaving, positive and negative experiences while being in exile, and responding to return. We found that all of these experiences differed based on children’s age. However, other children and teachers were an important resource that helped them build their resilience and deal with the uncertain months in exile and after that.