All of Europe is looking for Monika: Search ongoing in several languages, people phone in crying

On Friday morning, a girl named Monika Karimanovic (12), for whom a search has been ongoing for the fifth day, went missing in Suvi Dol in the area of the city of Nis. Beside the whole country rising to its feet, the diaspora also became involved in the search for Monika because of the distressing details of the disappearance of a child who was on her way to school that day.

Romani media broadcasting all the way in Germany are organizing live phone-ins to let everyone who knows something speak publicly. Media representatives and others who took over the organization of this shared Monika's photos with descriptions in Serbian, German and English. They are lso looking for help translating the message into Albanian, Italian, Romanian, Bulgarian... so that the girl can be found as soon as possible. At the same time, they invited everyone involved in the search to put up the missing posters on buses and taxis.

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Although many got busy on Facebook groups so that the search would not be forgotten, again reminding that this is a sixth grade student and that she needs her parents' help and care, those contacting them so far are mostly distressed people, crying, worried and showing deep compassion for the family of the missing girl.

Many also referred to the fact this is a Romani child, noting that the Romani people are united and working together. At the same time, people were responding to a telephone call by the mother who was hurt by some rude comments.

"Aleksandra, if you are a Romani, that doesn't mean that somebody means you harm. We all want to help you. Think only good thoughts," a lady from Belgrade who phoned in offered words of encouragement to Monika's mother.

"We are all made of flesh and blood, whether we are Serbs or Romani," added another, calling from Smederevo, who noted that she approached a Romani party where her uncle is involved and that they were doing everything to find the child.

"I'm Sandra from Nis. I live near Caka (the mother). The Roma Union and all of us got involved. The police have been looking for her since day one. Everyone is looking for her. But how can we find her if the police can't," the worried neighbor asked.

Many who know the family and Monika personally phoned in the live program.

"The child is golden," one person was barely able to speak, saying this with a trembling voice.

There were also many men who shared their distress live on the air.

Monika and her mother Aleksandra Photo: Facebook/Aleksandra Caka

"If she had her phone with her she would have been found via the GPS," said one, pointing out how young she is and still not interested in phones and other things from the world of the grown-ups.

At the same time, listeners from Macedonia said that the search there was ongoing and that they were willing to continue it in Serbia. There were also calls from Belgium, where some of the girl's close relatives live.

Monika disappeared on the way to school in Brzi Brod. Our journalist reconstructed the events to discover that the child went missing somewhere on a stretch of several hundred meters of a road, within a time period of 4 minutes and 43 seconds.

(B.P.)