ABSTRACT
Jyrgen was 5 years old when in 1998 the political situation between the Serb government and the people of Kosovo deteriorated such that there was open con¯ict between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Serb police. Jyrgen's family were Kosovo Albanians and his father joined the KLA to ®ght for their people's independence from Serbia. This resulted in him being away from the family home much of the time. As the situation worsened in Kosovo, Jyrgen witnessed armed Serb police raid his house searching for his father. He saw much news coverage on the television of Kosovo Albanians being killed, he heard the shelling of villages around him, and was exposed to many stories of other Kosovo Albanians being killed. Kosovo became increasingly dangerous, especially for any family thought to be connected to the KLA. When he was 6, Jyrgen's parents decided to take him and his younger brother and leave their home, their family and their friends preferring the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of another country. They were able to arrange transportation out of Kosovo in a lorry. They arrived in the UK and claimed asylum. They were housed by the local authority, received minimal bene®ts and were able to get their children into local schools. They were assigned a solicitor who took on their case and handled the long drawn out process of claiming asylum in the UK.
