A day on the beach for displaced Rohingya children in Malaysia | Rohingya News

Langkawi, Malaysia – On a small beach on the island of Langkawi, a group of children laugh and play and enjoy the sun and gentle waves. Some build sand castles and others play on the nearby swing set. A small group is busy finding mussels and collecting them to present their teacher.

All children are Rohingya refugees. Some were born in Malaysia, others came by boat after fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar. Arafat Mohammad supervises his students with a smile. He remembers that it wasn't too long ago that they were too afraid to step on the sand, let alone wade into the water.

“The children were so frightened when they saw the sea. They always heard from their parents that the sea is dangerous, the sea where their relatives died during their boat trips, ”said Arafat. “So the children have a trauma. They believe that they will die when they go to the beach. When I come here, I try to show you that the beach can play there, and the sea is not just a place of death. “

Arafat arrived in Langkawi in 2013. He had worked as a teacher in Myanmar. “Until 2012, the Burmani military had already set fire to many of the villages in which the people of Rohingya lived. They made it systematically what they “cleaned the villages”, he said. “People were so scared. Babies were killed before our eyes. Women were raped.”

Arafat said that he was involved in the support of victims of sexual attacks by the military to report their situation in non -governmental organizations (NGOs) and to request medical treatment. Because of his participation in humanitarian organizations, he said that he had been targeted by the military. “The military surrounded my house, they took everything, even my books,” he said.

Arafat left Myanmar by boat. When he arrived in Malaysia, he found informal work in the hotel sector. But he soon felt forced to teach again after realizing that the Rohingya children had no access to education in his new community. “I called the parents and tried to convince them of the importance of education and that it is a fundamental right for children. The children started to get to school one after the other, ”he said.

Arafat now has 34 students between the ages of five and 12. Parents pay a small fee to cover the costs and the school is also supported by local NGOs. “I teach the children English, mathematics, social sciences and natural sciences. The lessons also include the importance of hygiene, how you are respectful and show good manners, ”said Arafat.

“Malaysia gave us protection. We are grateful to the Malaysian people. I guess there are many different ethnic groups in Malaysia, but here they respect they don't hate. I want the children to learn that too. “

Malaysia is not a signature of the 1951 refugee convention or his protocol from 1967. Refugees have no legal status to work or study, but many are able to find informal jobs. However, this often means that some of the parents cannot pay their school fees regularly. “I tell the parents: don't be ashamed. In any case, the children should continue to learn whether they pay or not, ”he said.

“Some of the children are almost teenagers and still cannot read because they have never studied before. I tell you that this is okay, we will start with the alphabet at the beginning. If you can read and write, you may have a better future. “