"I want the world to know our struggles, but more importantly, I want them to see our strength. We are more than our suffering; we are survivors, and we deserve to be seen and heard." Rahima Akter Khushi
Rahima Akter Khushi’s journey began amidst turmoil. Born in 1992, she was forced to flee Myanmar with her family due to a violent military crackdown. They settled in the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Khushi's early life starkly contrasted the childhood she should have known.
Khushi mother, who fled Myanmar at just 14, spent her formative years deprived of education and basic rights. Her early years in the camp were similarly constrained. She completed her primary education in the camp’s rudimentary learning centers, where the curriculum was minimal and lacked the structure of formal education systems. Despite these obstacles, Khushi's thirst for knowledge remained unquenched.
Her father's imprisonment by Bangladeshi authorities for refusing forced repatriation further compounded their challenges. During visits to the Cox’s Bazar jail to see her father, Khushi observed local children in vibrant school uniforms and questioned why she couldn't attend such schools.
"I used to ask my mom, 'Why can’t I go to school like those kids? Why do they get to wear colorful uniforms and carry books while I don’t?' It was heartbreaking to feel so different, so excluded from something so fundamental as education," Khushi recalled.
Undeterred, Khushi completed high school with local support at a local school and eventually enrolled in college. After finishing her first semester, she received commendation from the UNHCR for her outstanding results and continued support, which she saw as a significant boost for her ambitions.
“I dream to be one of the most educated women from the Rohingya community from the refugee camp,” Khushi said.
However, her achievements faced a severe setback in September 2019. In 2018, Khushi had shared her story in an interview with the Associated Press, detailing her struggles and dreams. By August 2019, amid intense protests in the Rohingya refugee camps, her interview went viral. The increased tensions and negative sentiments led to a surge of hostility towards her.
“The interview was really going well,” Khushi recalled. “But after the protest in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, the interview went viral on social media. Some local journalists found it and made it viral. They did a lot of negative campaigning about my story and my university stuff.”
The backlash was immediate and harsh. Khushi found herself ostracized, with even her own relatives refusing to shelter her due to security concerns. Friends distanced themselves, and she received daily threats from hostile media and community members.
“Any other girl would kill herself in such a situation,” Khushi said. “I was really a self-motivated young girl, so I decided to stay stronger and to support myself mentally. I had a day where my own relatives didn’t allow me to stay at their house for one night. They said, ‘We can’t keep you because of our security issues.’ Many of my friends decided to stop communicating with me because I’m a Rohingya. I got suspended, and many media journalists were writing against me. I had no place where I could go and sleep safely. It was not easy and safe for me during that moment.”
Despite these adversities, Khushi's determination remained resolute. She continued her work from home, serving as a Language Research Officer with Translators Without Borders (TWB), and later collaborated with Legislation Worldwide on the ICC case. She also founded Women and Children Initiating (WCI), a self-funded organization focused on supporting Rohingya women and children through small-scale psychosocial projects.
“Though I was not allowed to go to university, I decided to do my own stuff, whatever I could,” Khushi said. “I was working as a Language Research Officer with TWB from home because the situation was hostile. Later on, I started working with Legislation Worldwide on the ICC case. I built an organization called WCI and tried to do small projects like psychosocial support for victims and survivors.”
Khushi appeals to the UNHCR for urgent resettlement were met with delays and denials. Despite offers of resettlement from countries like Germany, her request for a refugee travel document was repeatedly denied.
“I faced issues even with UNHCR because they decided not to take my case as urgent,” Khushi said. “They didn’t give me the opportunity to have a travel pass or refugee travel document from Bangladesh. Even though some countries wanted to take me, like from the German Embassy, they asked UNHCR, but UNHCR said they were taking care of me in Bangladesh, where I was not allowed to go to university and was receiving daily threats.”
Eventually, Khushi's perseverance paid off. The Canadian High Commission in Bangladesh, after being alerted by the UNHCR, took an interest in her case. This intervention marked a turning point, leading to her successful resettlement in Canada.
“That’s how my process started,” Khushi said. “The Canadian High Commissioner and UNHCR country representative were involved, and eventually, I was resettled.” She is now based in Waterloo, where she plans to continue her education in political science.
Last month, Canadian Rohingya organizations held a protest at Parliament Hill demanding urgent actions from the Canadian government to aid Rohingya trapped in the conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military junta. Khushi delivered a powerful speech, sharing her observations of the crisis:
“I have seen women who are not allowed to remarry because they were raped by the military. Their lives are destroyed because of this crisis and the inhuman treatment by the Myanmar military. These things deeply touch my heart and motivate me to speak out for our Rohingya community, especially for the women and children who face these hardships.” Khushi said in the protest.
Khushi, in her speech, called on the Prime Minister to lead international efforts to save the Rohingya people. “Without your help,” she implored, “we cannot regain our rights.”
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