Malihe and Mahdiye’s Story

By Malihe | 03 Aug 12

By Malihe. This article is a part of our July focus on the rights of children and youth. Read our Editorial for more on this theme.

One of the rights outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is that children and youth have the right to be heard, and to be taken seriously. Article 12 explains that children and young people have a right to freely express their views in all matters affecting them. Article 13 also grants children the freedom of expression. Unfortunately, the child’s right to be heard is still frequently overlooked in government and in law courts.

Right Now is thrilled to feature the story of Malihe (now aged 19) and Madhiye (aged 11), written in their own words. These young girls share their story about their journey to Australia from Afghanistan. It includes the hardships they faced in accessing education in Iran, their time spent in Christmas Island, and their arrival by boat to Australia.

Page 1 - Picture of AfghanistanPage 2

Page 3 - Picture of a boatPicture of Australian FlagPage 5

This story came out of a creative writing workshop that was run at the Red Cross Humanity Festival in April 2012 at the Melbourne Town Hall.