♪ christopher: a very warm welcome to "focus on europe," coming to you from dw. my name's christopher springate. good to have you with us. a colorful european mix for you this week with a large dose of humanity, a sprinkle of scandal, and plenty to think about. here is what is coming up over the next half-hour -- the desperate search for serbian children snatched at birth. the french woman who opens all her doors to the refugees of calais. and the male belly-dancers taking turkey by sheer hip-swinging force. i will never forget the first time a nurse placed my newly-born son in my arms --

an absolutely overwhelming experience. and i cannot imagine what it must be like being told a few hours later that your baby has died. that, we're told, is what's been happening to parents in serbia. allegations have surfaced in the country that criminal networks have been kidnapping babies at birth. those affected say up to 10,000 infants have disappeared. their desperate fight to uncover the truth and recover their children has so far proven to be a long, lonely journey. reporter: when it becomes too painful for her, she goes out and walks for hours. she can hardly bear the longing for her son. last year, biljana todic gave birth to a boy. just hours later he disappeared. biljana: it's just so awful that my child isn't with me any more. when i imagine that someone else may be raising my child, the thought hurts. reporter: on april 20, 2014

biljana gave birth in a hospital in the western serbian town of sabac. the healthy boy weighed in at three kilos, and the new mother was happy. biljana: it was such a wonderful feeling. the doctor congratulated me because he was so marvelous. and he screamed like crazy when they took him to the nursery so i could have a rest. reporter: the next morning, biljana was still recovering in sabac when they told her the bad news. while she slept, her boy had to be taken to a hospital 90 kilometers away in belgrade. doctors there said there had been unexpected complications. a short time later, biljana received photographs from the belgrade hospital that supposedly showed how serious her son's condition was. biljana: i looked at the pictures and saw immediately

that it wasn't my child -- they just said he was mine. the child in the photograph is much older and larger than the child i bore. reporter: a short time later, her son allegedly died, but biljana wasn't allowed to see the baby's body. it was buried in an undisclosed place. she received a death certificate and was sent away. vladimir cicarevic says what happened was a crime. he believes that thousands of babies have disappeared in this way, including his own son in 2003. together with other parents, he wants to find out what happened to his child. they suspect organized gangs are selling the babies. vladimir: the serbian mafia works closely together with international gangs -- like the spanish mafia. they all use the same tricks. they show the same image of a dead baby to dozens of parents. and these parents believe their

child has died. reporter: cicarevic contends that doctors and nurses are paid to smuggle the infants out of the hospital. officials are bribed to enable the newborns' documents to be falsified with new birthdates and names. middlemen then sell the babies, often to desperate couples who cannot have children themselves. cicarevic: the babies fetch between 15,000 and 45,000 on the serbian market. usually only buyers from abroad can afford that kind of money. many children are sold to people from germany. reporter: this kind of baby trafficking may have been going on for decades in serbia. this clinic in belgrade is allegedly bound up in the scam. it's the narodni front hospital, one of serbia's biggest maternity hospitals.

tens of thousand of children have been born here -- and some babies have apparently disappeared. director rakic: during the 1980's and 1990's, there were occasionally reports that children disappeared from our clinic. but charges were filed only once, in 1997, and the case got lost in the courts. at some point, the accusations simply stopped. reporter: staff at the clinic would much rather show us their computer aided registration of infants, which is supposed to make any manipulation of documents impossible. but the parents' association says this is all a blind. vladimir: a mother got in touch with us a few days ago. she had just given birth, she said, and her child was stolen. reporter: it may be one more case that will never be solved. it's made some serbian mothers afraid to give birth in clinics.

the new government in belgrade is beginning to take notice. dr. vekic: the ministries of the interior, justice, and health are working intensively on resolving the case of the missing babies and bringing the truth to light. reporter: biljana todic has filed charges against an unknown perpetrator, and she wants the police to investigate her case. biljana todic: i often think i'll see my boy again. i dream of holding him in my arms. reporter: biljana says one thing is certain. one day her son will play with his friends in the garden of her house. ♪ christopher: from serbia, we

take you now to france to a town at the frontline of europe's refugee crisis, the port of calais. it has become a flashpoint because thousands of migrants have flocked there in the hope of smuggling themselves on board trucks, busses, or ferries bound for britain. tensions with the locals are high, and the refugees have even clashed with the police. but there are also heart-warming encounters -- with brigitte lips for instance, who has taken it upon herself to help the refugees keep in touch with home. reporter: when madame brigitte lips opens her garage door in the morning, there is already a crowd of people waiting for her. the migrants who come to her don't have a fixed address, so they don't have access to electricity. brigitte is going to charge their cell phones. each one is carefully labeled. if they can't use their cell phones, these refugees can't contact their families.

brigitte: have you told your mum? otherwise she will think you died as a boat person. go ahead and call her. i see all the photos of their kids on the displays. they need their phones! reporter: brigitte powers up as many as 150 mobiles a day. but she provides more than just electricity. everyone gets a piece of cake -- and in these chilly temperatures she provides other home comforts , where she can. brigitte: this night you'll dream of me. [laugshs] reporter: madame lips charges up to 63 phones at a time -- quite a logistical feat! sometimes that requires a few sacrifices of her housemates.

brigitte: i need your socket, too. she's not particularly happy, but she'll have warm water again tonight. reporter: the doorbell is constantly ringing. brigitte: yes, yes, i come. j'arrive. reporter: brigitte is a devout catholic. but not everyone is impressed by her charitable actions -- the neighbors feel harassed. police regularly patrol her street. brigitte: people say to me, "why do they all have mobiles?" i say, "well, you have a cell phone, don't you? if you fled your home, you'd take it with you, wouldn't you?" but they don't get it. yes, i come! reporter: brigitte can't ignore what's happening. behind her house in calais is what they call the "jungle" -- a makeshift camp. there's no running water here, no toilets, and no electricity.

the illegal migrants spend months living in squalid conditions, hoping to get to the u.k. as stowaways. >> sit down, mummy. reporter: they call her mummy or grandma here. >> bonjour, ca va bien? reporter: she often gets invitations to stop by and chat. this man's wife is pregnant. they're expecting their first son -- a moment of happiness in unhappy circumstances. then brigitte is called over by someone else. >> yes. two minutes, ok? reporter: brigitte has many "sons" here. the 19-year-old from eritrea tells her that he and two others are hoping to make it to england -- with brigitte's blessing -- brigitte: good luck, good luck and good luck.

>> they're coming a car, i try it. it's my first try. today, inshallah! goodbye. see you in england. brigitte: maybe a day i go to england and i see many, many people. reporter: they leave the camp fire burning as if they sense they'll need it again this evening. many calais residents don't want to be confronted with this reality. in this small bar, brigitte often meets people who fear and mistrust the migrants. >> we don't serve migrants here, absolutely not. if i read that 30 migrants have been run over, then that leaves me cold. i just look out for me and mine, my family. i don't care about the others. reporter: but brigitte can count

on her husband pierre. when they look at last year's electricity bill, they're surprised to see that their power consumption has actually dropped. paradoxically, the migrants and their mobile phones are helping the couple to save electricity. brigitte: in the past, the tv was on the whole day. now we need the sockets and don't have time to watch tv. reporter: the next day, the same procedure -- brigitte: attends, attends, yes, i open the door. reporter: it's only 7:00 a.m., but the next group of migrants are already waiting. brigitte: i'll never forget the faces of the three men who set off yesterday. when i pray, then i pray for them, too, and they pray for me, too. one of them left a message for me saying, "no matter where i go, i'll pray for you and your family." reporter: brigitte doesn't just

charge phones -- her positive energy seems to give hope, too. christopher: true humanity there in the almost saintly figure of brigitte lips, the selfless helper of all refugees in the french town of calais. moving on now -- and after decades of peace in europe, it is hard to grasp that this continent was the focal point of history's deadliest conflict -- the second world war, which claimed over 50 million lives. as the 70th anniversary of the end of that war approaches, people across europe are remembering the past, and trying to convey its destructive force. in poland for instance, a new film has hit the screens that tells the story of three young poles caught up in one of the nation's greatest traumas -- the 1944 warsaw uprising. the raw courage of the polish resistance fighters who fought their nazi occupiers during that uprising is one of the foundations of modern polish identity, and as our report shows, a source of pride for the young generation.

reporter: it is 1944 in german-occupied warsaw, young poles enjoy the summer. that is how the film "miasto forty-four," or "warsaw forty-four," begins. but the war soon destroys the apparent idyll. >> you feel for those who fought and died for us. it makes you want to know more about it. reporter: the main protagonists are kama, ala, and stefan, who join the polish resistance home army and fight the nazi occupiers. the uprising began on august 1st, 1944. the movie wraps the war in a love story, with plenty of special effects. it's been a big hit with young poles. >> polish history explains how we poles became what we are today. >> it makes you proud of our nation.

>> one should not forget that they had very good reasons to fight. reporter: more than a million people saw the film in the first three weeks after its release. it appears the warsaw uprising is still of interest to many in poland. anna: the film is about an important historical event that has come to be seen in almost mythical terms. it has been put on a pedestal. but the film questions all that. it has modern music, it is colorful, and focuses on the problems youngsters faced, and not so much not on how patriotic they were. it is simply a love story. about reporter: about 200,000 poles perished during the 63 days of the warsaw uprising --

resistance fighters and ordinary people trapped in the city. the uprising is considered one of the most painful chapters in poland's often painful history. józef: the film forced us to confront great brutality. it was painful and difficult, but it made us appreciate and value our own era more. reporter: to prepare for their roles, the actors talked to old elderly people who had lived through the warsaw uprising. anna: it is incredible what they did -- back then they were just my age. józef: i always admired and respected them, but now i also feel humbled in the face of what they achieved. reporter: daniela oginska is one of the survivors who briefed the actors.

she has become friends with zofia wichlacz, who plays the part of ala. in the film, ala falls in love with stefan. and because she loves him, she joins the home army. the many child soldiers killed in the uprising are commemorated by the small bronze statue here. daniela oginska's husband fought in the uprising. he was just 18 at the time. daniela: the important thing is that we never gave up. the uprising may have failed, but they could not vanquish us. reporter: zofia wichlacz was deeply impressed by this courage and determination. daniela oginska told her that she was just 16 when she joined the home army. she provided first aid and also smuggled weapons to the fighters.

zofia: when she told me her story, it was as if it all happened yesterday. i wonder if young people will still be interested in the second world war 40 years from now. i certainly hope so. reporter: youngsters nowadays certainly appear to be. many think about what polish history means for them today. anna: we feel very strongly that we are now citizens of europe. our painful dark history makes us stronger. józef: i want to learn from our history, to live with our history. we were at a festival in germany recently. i felt fine being with young germans. i want to move on. we can make the world a better place -- together. christopher: inspiring words

there of the young polish asked actor, a testament. if you have any thoughts on that, or if you have seen " miasto forty-four," the film we have just reported on, do get in touch, you will find me at this twitter handle @springontheroad. looking forward to hearing from you. terkel starting next week, we are focusing on europe's squares, those that may history, those have provoked controversy, and those that are just plain quirky on tales from europe's squares. ♪ tales from europe squares, our

new series, starting next week. do not miss it. finally this week, an age-old turkish tradition you probably associate with women -- belly-dancing. the difference is -- this story is about male belly-dancers. now, if that is raising your eyebrows, bear with us for a few minutes. turkish men have actually belly dance for centuries, and there have been male belly-dancers in gay nightclubs for many years . women still rule the roost, the best of the men are now breaking into the big time. just like the women, they hypnotize their audiences with their gyrating hips. before they get started, meticulous preparation is needed. reporter: after a few alterations the costume is , perfect. erhan ay says the garment has to fit just right. as a belly dancer, he spends lots of time at tailors and cloth merchants in his home city, istanbul. erhan: in istanbul, you have got

unlimited possibilities. there's an abundance of all kinds of accessories and fabrics. reporter: ay designed this garment himself. he's going to perform in it for the first time later in the evening. the historic quarter of istanbul on the golden horn. this is where erhan ay dances regularly at venues. mail that he will -- male belly dancers have long been a tradition in turkey. they emerged during the ottoman empire because women dancers were only allowed to perform for women. although the male performers were reputed to be homosexual, they were widely appreciated. but over time, women replaced men on the stage. for decades male dancers could only perform at private parties or in nightclubs for gay men. erhan: people still look askance at male belly dancers in a conservative society like turkey's. that's got a great deal to do with prejudice. my sexual orientation is my private business. i'm not interested in the opinions of others.

what's important is that my mother has always supported me. i discovered my love of dance and music as a child. reporter: erhan came to fame after starring in a film called "zenne dancer." the story of a love affair between two men also triggered a renaissance of the old dance form. the filmmakers clearly see male belly dance as a homosexual domain. its return is an expression of a new confidence within turkey's gay community. mehmet: gays and lesbians were at the forefront of the gezi protests two years ago. the carried the rainbow flag and were embraced by everyone. on the one hand, the society is becoming more conservative.

at the same time there are more , and more people who want to express what and who they are. reporter: they are making some last preparations before he takes the stage. the women dancers are wowed by erhan ay's new outfit. they say the men are no threat to women's dance. but swinging male hips are a social trend right now. özge: young turks are again becoming more and more interested in their country's history and tradition. they're reflecting on our very own dance traditions. male belly dancing profits from this nostalgic trend. reporter: ay nevertheless dreams of making a career abroad. he's already appeared several times at dance festivals in western europe. you can earn more money there as well. erhan: the most lucrative performances are still at private parties, for example birthdays and weddings. there are lots of tips. reporter: the performance at the

cabaret starts with a female belly dancer. the tourists in the audience have seen this kind of thing before. erhan ay is next -- and the audience is fascinated, by more than his glittering new costume. the guests from abroad stay on after the show. their opinions vary. >> i think ladies can get -- i think they would be more appreciated for this. >> i didn't expect to see something like that. but it shows that turkey has some very different, very colorful sides. it was beautiful. reporter: erhan ay is planning his own solo show. he also wants to teach other men how to dance to ensure that the , old tradition remains a part of modern turkey. christopher: so diverging

opinions on mail bellydancing there. we have been discussing in the studio. both of our mail camera operators here prefer to see female belly dancers. we would like to hear what you think. do you belly-dance? and if not, why not? if you have any comments, views, or suggestions, on that last report or any of the other ones, do get in touch with me, via twitter @springontheroad, that is my twitter handle on the screen for you. alternatively, you can also find us on our website. that is all for this week, from "focus on europe." we will be back at the same times next week of course. in the meantime, from the entire team thanks for watching, and , see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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