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Saturday 31 July 2010

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Hear our Voices

A forum for people whose voices are often not heard, whose lives have been affected by catastrophe, be it natural or manmade. Many have been abused and denied their universal human rights; others have seen their livelihoods washed away by floods or lost to drought. Their personal accounts are a testimony to their struggle and their hope for a better future. Stories from aid workers offer a glimpse into the relationships between victims of humanitarian crises and the people who help them.

IRIN welcomes editorial and photographic submissions for inclusion on this page, reserving the right to select and edit as appropriate.

Africa

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more testimonies »]

Ahmed Shide Jama, "It is as if no one knows we are here"
		Ahmed Shide Jama, in his late 60s, is the leader of one of Somaliland's marginalized minority groups, the Gabooyo. He lives in the Daami area of Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, with at least 8,000 other families (48,000 people). full testimony
Mariam, "I am afraid my dad will find me"
		Mariam* is one of about two dozen female refugees who have been subjected to sexual or domestic violence and who, in many cases shunned by their families, now live in a safe haven inside a camp in Kakuma, in northwest Kenya. full testimony
Hadjé Gomssou, "Sex workers are between two fires"
		Paying members of an association of sex workers on Fitiné Island in Lake Chad were having a harder time making a living, said Hadjé Gomssou, 45, the association president. Although she has been widowed twice, she has never been tested for HIV. For years the fishing industry provided her with a steady stream of clients, but recently it has declined, and with it the sex trade. full testimony

Asia	[ more testimonies »]

Kya Kya Win*, "The parents of a child soldier helped me, now I help others"
		At age 14, Khin Myint* was forced into the life of a child soldier. For months, his mother, Kya Kya Win, had no idea where he was. Eventually, she discovered his whereabouts, and after two years, he escaped but lived in fear of being arrested for desertion. full testimony
Pengendum Tampung, "We don’t have birth certificates. You can’t do much without one"
		Pengendum Tampung seems like a typical 21-year-old, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. But at home, he hangs up his jeans for a loincloth, and hunts and gathers alongside his father. Pengendum is an indigenous Orang Rimba – or “person of the forest” – and his home is the Bukit Dua Belas National Park in lush Jambi Province, on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. The nomadic Orang Rimba are one of Indonesia’s many marginalized indigenous groups with poor access to health and education. full testimony
Maung Win, "We are cheap labour, we have no rights"
		Umpiem is one of about a dozen refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border for displaced persons who have fled poverty as well as ethnic, religious and political persecution. The camp is home to about 27,000 people, according to the Karen Refugee Committee. Under Thai law, displaced persons are prohibited from leaving the camps, but authorities often allow refugees to leave for day labour. Maung Win*, 36, an ethnic Arakan, told IRIN about his recent arrest outside camp. full testimony

Middle East

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more testimonies »]

Josephine, "I won't leave until I point out the rapists to the police"
		Josephine*, 17, was living alone on the streets of Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit. She lost the few belongings she had - mostly clothes. She now stays at the Jean-Marie Vincent camp for displaced families. full testimony
Karrad, "If I stop working, how can we survive?"
		Karrad, 16, and his family fled the sectarian violence in Iraq following the US-led invasion in 2003 and came to Syria in 2005. Although the Syrian government provides Iraqi children with free education in its public schools, Karrad and his brother Ali, 12, cannot go to school because they are the breadwinners. Karrad told his story to IRIN: full testimony
Ali Saleh Ahmad, "It was a hard trip with Zaraa on my back"
		Ali Saleh Ahmad, 45, and his family arrived in the Al Mazraq camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah after fighting between the Saudi army and Houthi-led Shia rebels in the northern Saada governorate forced them to flee their home in Ghafri village, Dhahiri district. full testimony

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