From bystander to changemaker: Anayet's journey as an adolescent peer leader
Rohingya children learn life-skills to stop child rights violations in the refugee camps.
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When Anayet first set foot in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the struggle was immediate. At only nine, he was tasked with the daily, demanding ritual of gathering firewood and water for makeshift cooking for his family.
As time passed, his responsibilities grew, and he found himself hauling gas cylinders, rice sacks and bamboo stalks for other refugees to their shelters. The weight of those heavy items would leave his body aching in pain and left no time for education.
“I used to tell my parents that it was too heavy for me to lift and that carrying such heavy loads hurt my body,” said Anayet. “But my parents told me that we did not have any money and needed the help.”
In the Rohingya refugee camps, child labour, neglect and abuse are stark yet common realities as families grappling with economic hardships often feel compelled to send their children to work.
Transformation Through Education
For Anayet, hope for change came three years ago in the form of case worker Salauddin, who saw him working in the camps. Salauddin visited Anayet’s home and convinced his father to send him to the multi-purpose centre, where he could learn vocational skills for his future and join an adolescent club to learn life skills.
The multi-purpose centres, which are supported by UNICEF with funding from the European Union, provide case management services, psychosocial support services, life-skills sessions, and vocational training for adolescents and youth. The centres also support parents and caregivers through parenting sessions and community-based child protection committees, strengthening the child protection system in the camps. The centres enable adolescents to develop key competencies and skills that help them cope with stressful circumstances, build healthy relationships and engage positively with their communities.
“I slowly learned about the harmful effects of child labour through life skills sessions,” says Anayet, who joined an adolescent club through the multi-purpose centre. “I told my father that I would not continue to do heavy lifting work as it would have a negative effect on my physical development. My father listened to me and has since never asked me to do heavy lifting or laborious work.”
Anayet's own family began attending parents’ group sessions and underwent a transformation. His father, once unaware of the negative impact of heavy labour on his son's development, now supports Anayet's education and sends his three siblings to learning centres in the camps.
A Ripple Effect of Change
Soon after joining the adolescent club at the multi-purpose centre at 13, Anayet witnessed child abuse and neglect close to home.
"Our neighbour's 10-year-old daughter was subjected to physical abuse,” he shares. “Her parents would not let her study and sometimes she would get little or nothing to eat.”
Anayet went to the family and talked to them about the importance of treating all children equally, and later brought a case worker for support. Once the case worker began visiting the girl’s parents regularly and informed them about the harmful effects of child abuse and neglect, they resolved to end the neglect and send their daughter to a learning centre.
Fuelled by this experience and his desire to create a positive ripple effect in his community, Anayet became an Adolescent Peer Leader.
"As a peer leader, I identify and help stop cases of child labour, child marriage, child neglect and child abuse in my community," he explains, his voice carrying the weight of his responsibilities.
Thanks to his diligence and dedication, Anayet has worked with other adolescents, case workers, facilitators and community-based child protection committees to successfully stop cases of child labour, such as that of Kamal Hossain, a 12-year-old whose father initially did not let him study.
“I saw Kamal carrying heavy gas cylinders on the streets,” said Anayet. “I approached him and asked him about his situation - it was similar to others.” He then intervened, persuading the parents to prioritize their son's education over laborious work.
Anayet's journey epitomizes the potential within every young mind when given the right opportunities. The young peer leader has collaborated with peers and child protection partners to support the prevention of 20 cases of child labour and neglect and even successfully stopped a child marriage. After hearing about a marriage proposal for an underage girl, Anayet shared the information with case workers at the multi-purpose centre who intervened.
Buoyed by these successes, Anayet now has high hopes for his future despite the challenges brought on by the refugee camp.
"I want to do good in life,” he says. “I want to become a teacher. And I want to improve the lives of my entire family."
