New Straits Time
The three sketches are by a Myanmar refugee child at a refugee learning centre in Kuala Lumpur which depict the abuse and discrimination she has experienced as she struggles to regain her footing in a foreign land.
Not only is bullying morally wrong, but it can also destroy childhood for children, says Unicef
WARM and friendly, Malaysians are often commended for our willingness to lend to the less fortunate.'
But why does a young girl who had come to our shores two years ago to seek a brighter future, clench her teeth and sob quietly when asked about her experience in Malaysia?
Dawn had just turned 15 when she braved the high seas in a cramped fishing boat. She fled a homeland that has been embroiled in internal conflict since 1948 -- Myanmar.
With her mother and an 11-year-old younger sister, the three held on tightly to each other and tried not to think about the added risk of being captured by slave-traders prowling the waters.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they arrived in bright, sunny Malaysia.
With the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the family of three was reunited with their father in a refugee centre in downtown Kuala Lumpur. They have sought shelter for the last two years in this unmarked building, and there now seems to be a semblance of normalcy in their lives.
Although their movements are restricted and they fear being detained if they venture too far from the area surrounding their refugee centre, for once, Dawn can go to school and is learning English.
Her yearning to learn more was evident as she listened attentively to every question posed to her, shaping her mouth silently around some words to familiarise herself.
Perhaps this insatiable thirst for knowledge is what continues to push her to take the 20-minute trek to a school nearby every day -- though the journey often brings them face to face with a bunch of young, local bullies.
"They throw stones at us. They pull our hair sometimes and shout at us -- something very bad. Sometimes my sister will go and cry in the toilet."
Jim, head of the refugee centre where Dawn is taking shelter now, said cases of refugee children being bullied was nothing new.
"Even our adults are robbed, cursed at, looked down on. We fled our homeland because we had no choice but to leave.
"Here, we thought we can have a chance...but...we just wonder now, why is our life so hard?"
When asked if she still believed that there was a brighter future ahead, Dawn looked down on her lap and let the tears fall, unhindered.
Watching the girl and reflecting on the plight of his people, Jim, a 45-year-old, also teared up.
It is reported that there are now some 95,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, fleeing persecution and conflict from many countries including Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since 1989, Nov 20 is Universal Children's Day. Malaysia, being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, also observes this day as one of celebration of the well-being of children.
"Child rights mean that children themselves have to learn to respect each other's rights," said Unicef representative to Malaysia, Hans Olsen. "Children's opinions and actions are influenced by what adults and friends around them think, do and say. Prejudice is learnt by living and observing it in society; a child may grow up believing that this is how life must be."
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has so far identified more than 50 grounds of discrimination against children based either on their identity or the identity of their parents. These include discrimination against gender, race, citizenship, family background and income, ability, and HIV status. Discrimination against these children may mean poking fun at them, or not allowing them to participate in play or other activities.
Names have been changed to protect identity
Dawn had just turned 15 when she braved the high seas in a cramped fishing boat. She fled a homeland that has been embroiled in internal conflict since 1948 -- Myanmar.
With her mother and an 11-year-old younger sister, the three held on tightly to each other and tried not to think about the added risk of being captured by slave-traders prowling the waters.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they arrived in bright, sunny Malaysia.
With the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the family of three was reunited with their father in a refugee centre in downtown Kuala Lumpur. They have sought shelter for the last two years in this unmarked building, and there now seems to be a semblance of normalcy in their lives.
Although their movements are restricted and they fear being detained if they venture too far from the area surrounding their refugee centre, for once, Dawn can go to school and is learning English.
Her yearning to learn more was evident as she listened attentively to every question posed to her, shaping her mouth silently around some words to familiarise herself.
Perhaps this insatiable thirst for knowledge is what continues to push her to take the 20-minute trek to a school nearby every day -- though the journey often brings them face to face with a bunch of young, local bullies.
"They throw stones at us. They pull our hair sometimes and shout at us -- something very bad. Sometimes my sister will go and cry in the toilet."
Jim, head of the refugee centre where Dawn is taking shelter now, said cases of refugee children being bullied was nothing new.
"Even our adults are robbed, cursed at, looked down on. We fled our homeland because we had no choice but to leave.
"Here, we thought we can have a chance...but...we just wonder now, why is our life so hard?"
When asked if she still believed that there was a brighter future ahead, Dawn looked down on her lap and let the tears fall, unhindered.
Watching the girl and reflecting on the plight of his people, Jim, a 45-year-old, also teared up.
It is reported that there are now some 95,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, fleeing persecution and conflict from many countries including Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since 1989, Nov 20 is Universal Children's Day. Malaysia, being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, also observes this day as one of celebration of the well-being of children.
"Child rights mean that children themselves have to learn to respect each other's rights," said Unicef representative to Malaysia, Hans Olsen. "Children's opinions and actions are influenced by what adults and friends around them think, do and say. Prejudice is learnt by living and observing it in society; a child may grow up believing that this is how life must be."
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has so far identified more than 50 grounds of discrimination against children based either on their identity or the identity of their parents. These include discrimination against gender, race, citizenship, family background and income, ability, and HIV status. Discrimination against these children may mean poking fun at them, or not allowing them to participate in play or other activities.
Names have been changed to protect identity
