SOMETIME around mid-December 2024, on a routine day at our women's centre for migrant and refugee women in New Delhi, Yasmin Begum walked in sounding ecstatic. “The IOM (International Organization for Migration) called me today. We are leaving for the US next month,” she said, beaming with excitement. For 12 years, Yasmin waited patiently for this day while living in India, where she is discriminated against and mistreated for being a Rohingya refugee woman.
The Rohingya of Myanmar are one of the world's most persecuted populations and the largest stateless population, estimated at approximately 2.8 million. The Myanmar Junta has attempted to systematically and systemically wipe them out. The Rohingya have been discriminated against since the 1970s. They were stripped of their citizenship in 1982. The violence and genocidal attacks that began in 1991, still continue.
Yasmin fled in 2012 from Buthidaung district in Rakhine state—the epicentre of violence—with her three-month-old infant. She carried her across borders and entered India, hoping for some relief. She thought she wouldn't have to fear being killed or getting raped here because of her ethnic identity. However, she could never imagine that even everyday survival would be so challenging.
This story is from the January 21, 2025 edition of Outlook.
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This story is from the January 21, 2025 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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