I want the world hear me
Abu Bakr Siddiq, a Bangladesh-born refugee from Myanmar, living in Sri Lanka since 2016, marks World Refugee Day with an unvarnished account of his life as a refugee and a plea for his voice to be heard
My name is Abu Bakr Siddiq and I’m a refugee from Myanmar. I was born in Bangladesh from a refugee family in a refugee camp. I have been in Sri Lanka since 2016. Today (20), the world observes World Refugee Day. On this day, I do not celebrate. I’m reminded that there is no place for me in this world.
Born a refugee and still a refugee, this word hurts me a lot. It causes me a wound that reminds me that I am a human without human rights on a journey of unending sufferings with no place to go, no place to call home.
I dream of a place to call home. I did not fight any battle, I did not threaten anyone. I did not even choose my own race or ethnicity but I came into this world and found myself a displaced person, a stateless person and a refugee.
I’m not in any official records of any country in this world. It means I’m a stranger on every spot on this planet.
I’m not being treated as human, I’m not given a chance to work, my fundamental rights are often denied. My life as a refugee is a daily struggle.
Humanitarian assistance makes my life a little easier, but life is a constant mix of fear, anxiety and hope for a place to call home.
I thank the donors who shared their money and food with me. I don’t want to remain a refugee forever. I want to stand and walk on a satisfying solid ground where I would be welcomed as a human being and I’ll be free from this unending suffering refugee life.
Life for me has never been stable. Yet I have always dreamed of a place called home. On this World Refugee Day, I just remember the moral failure of our human race. I make one wish on this day that all those around the world forced from their homes, longing for one spot to claim on this planet, will be refugees no more.