Place of Love

Minsk Komarovsky market is the main food market in Belarus. People call it “Komarovka”. It organically coexists people of all ages, backgrounds and characters. While for some the market has become a second home, others continue to dream of more.

For nearly 10 years, Belarus has had a Shelter — place for women victims of domestic violence. This is a big private house in Minsk. Many victims are brought here directly in their home clothes — the only thing they were able to escape from the aggressor. Belarus has not yet adopted a law on combating domestic violence. In this issue, you will find out the real stories of residents of the Shelter, what problems not only clients but also employees of the shelter have to face, and why it is so important to pass a law.

Belarus is the only country in Europe where there is still a compulsory assignment of students studying at the expense of the state budget. The best graduates of the country who have passed a large competition for admission and who have earned the right to study for free with their knowledge are sent to places where no one else agrees to work due to difficult working conditions and lack of infrastructure.