Global Campaign to End Child Detention
Assignment commissioned by the International Detention Coalition for the Global Campaign to End Child Detention.
Refugee children from different countries talked about what it means to be a child, the things they enjoy and the things every child should have the right to do.
They also talked about what detention means to them, what would happen if they were detained, and their fears. Some had experienced detention personally. Others had friends or members of their families who had been detained..
"All children should be free. Children shouldn’t be arrested because it is not their fault and they are just underage. If people arrest children, it will become the wound of their life and they will carry that weight with them.”
“In my free time, I like playing piano and guitar.”
"If I was arrested, I would feel like my future is gone. I wouldn’t be able to study abroad.”
“I enjoy playing football. Normally I play futsal with my friends; we are 5 Malaysians and 5 Somalis. We play very respectfully and very awesome. I’m a striker but I also play as an 8 or a 9.”
“If I was in detention, I would go crazy.”
"My favorite thing to do in my free time is fashion shows. I don’t have a perfect body but I want to be a model.”
"If I was in detention, I would try to ask my captors: Did I do something wrong? Why are you doing this? But when you are arrested, you are not allowed to talk or explain anything.”
"I love travelling to different countries and visiting new places, because I like knowing more about other cultures. The nicest place I've visited is France. It's my favorite."
“If I was arrested, I would feel the world is very small.”
“I enjoy playing computer games, like FIFA Online 2, Blackshot, FIFA 2013...”
“If I was in detention, I would be thinking about the moment when I could go out and resume my life. And I would be wondering whether they would release me here or in my country."
"I like watching movies. Action movies. I watched G.I. Joe recently; it was very nice.”
"If I was in one of those places, I would be hungry and nervous. I would feel scared, ashamed, sad. I would pray and cry. I would feel broken, hopeless, helpless, powerless."
“All children should be able to enjoy themselves. All kids should be able to play in the playground with other children.”
"If I was arrested, I would be thinking of the time when I was free and I could play with my friends."
“I like to do sports with my friends from school. I really like swimming.”
"If I was detained, I would not be able to go home. I would be worried about being sent back to my country and having to pay money. Or maybe they would send me to jail for a long time. I would be afraid of punishment."
"When I was arrested, I was six-month pregnant. Two months later, I wasn't feeling well and I asked for help, but they took a week to send me to the hospital. The doctors told me I had a miscarriage, removed the dead fetus and brought me back to the detention center."
"Those detention places are dirty. I think the food there is mice and cockroaches.”
“I love to shout with a loud voice, because it’s my special way to express my feelings. And I enjoy dancing when I feel bored or sad. It makes me feel better. I feel active and refreshed.”
“In detention, I would miss my family, my friends, my home, my school, having food, TV, music, dancing...”
“I like reading stories. And I love drawing. When I grow up, I would like to be a teacher of math, because I love math.”
“If I was arrested, I would be worried about myself. I would be waiting for the day when I can get out. I would try to get ideas on how to run away and I would be thinking about who could save me.”
"I enjoy going shopping with my family and my friends."
“In detention, I would feel afraid, sad and angry. I would be shy. I would feel like crying all the time."
"I like chatting with my grandma and my uncle and aunt in Iraq. We tell each other what we did during the week. They ask me to tell them what life is like over here. My mum also likes talking to them because she misses them."
"An arrested child misses the parents, can’t contact anyone or get help. In detention, what I would be missing the most is my family. I would be crying all the time because I would be alone. My parents would be worried and maybe I wouldn’t see them anymore."
“I want all people to live together in peace. If we live in peace, everyone will be happy.”