Zafar Alam,40.
"I am always in fear safety of my daughter"
---Zafar Alam
"It was 1996. I was living with my wife in Arakan.Economic miseries,poverty, lack of jobs were the daily friends of the families. In addition, the harassment by NaSaKa was a bonus pain! Women were mostly vulnerable. Rape was an everyday incident. Besides this,farmers had to handover 90% of their crops to NaSaKa. Forced labour for construction works without any payment was another way of torture.And if anyone denied to work, he or she had to face unbelievable tortures. We had to pay gallons of patrol fuel to the NaSaKa on daily basis.Now you tell me, how could we stay there? But we did not make any plan to come to Bangladesh. One day, NaSaKa grabbed 11-12 families including me and my family and told us to leave Arakan at night. We had nothing to do, nothing to say.In October 1996 we came Bangladesh crossing Naff River at mid-night.
In mid 2006, 5 NaSaka people came to my house and demand 2 gallons of fuels and 3000 Kyat. It was absolutely impossible for me to provide these things. I told them with tears to forgive me and leave us.But do you know what they did? They told me that --- we'll leave, if you rape your own daughter (Fatima) right now in-front of us. otherwise we will set rough cane inside your little daughter's secret place. At that moment, I was crying loud and telling them I cant do this and I wont be able to tolerate that. But that bloody persons had no heart.may be they are the worst brutal creature in the world. They took away my little daughter and a rough cane was just about to push. Suddenly my wife took a bamboo stick and hit one of the NaSaKa. In action, they pushed their arms and fired. I then decided to do whatever they want from me but I planned acting. I tried to act as I planned. Oh lord, loud screaming...unforgettable for me.After a while , one of the NaSaKa came to me and took my daughter to him.He then raped my daughter along with two partners.My Fatima died.My Fatima died in front of me. I could not do anything. Just nothing. I lost my Fatima.I might be happy they killme also. but they didn't. They left the place that-you have only two options left. Either bear this sorrow or kill your little daughter and commit suicide.I then came to Bangladesh.I think you can now imagine why I am always in fear safety of my daughter.
* Interview by Md. Amirul Islam, 17 June 2008.
#Source : The Plight of the Stateless Rohingyas
