All the Rohingya refugees, who have fled to Bangladesh in the face of a brutal military campaign in Rakhine state, have harrowing tales to tell. But even among them, there are some who are unable to tell others about their ordeal.
Take, for example, Rozia Begum, a speech impaired Rohingya teenager.
The 15-year-old fled Myanmar with her younger sisters – Rokeya and Rizia – on September 1, on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha with their lives.
Her parents were not so lucky. They had left the home together with their daughters to escape to Bangladesh. But they went back home to bring their belongings asking their children to keep walking towards Bangladesh.
Rozia's parents were shot dead by Myanmar military.
Taslima, a Bangladeshi girl who acted as an interpreter for Rozia when the Dhaka Tribune spoke to her, said Rozia's mother was three months pregnant.
During their long walk for survival, the sisters had to walk through jungle, trek over hills and cross canal before reaching the Bangladesh border. It took them about a week, Taslim said, quoting Rokeya.
Hailing from Naishapur village in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Rozia has been slowly overcoming her trauma, Taslima added.
The Dhaka Tribune met Rozia at Community Development Centre (CODEC), a local NGO in Cox’s Bazar, which is running a day centre for children and adolescent boys and girls.
CODEC is running this project with the support of UNICEF Bangladesh.
Project Manager Md Nasir Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune that they were helping about 1,600 Rohingya children to recover from their trauma.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
