Priyanka shocked by horrific stories of Rohingya kids

Walking through the muddy paths, Priyanka witnessed the men, women, children and elderly, all crammed in the makeshift refugee camps after fleeing the brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military.

She listened to the stories of the children who have been suffering from trauma since the attack began last year. The Bollywood actor was overcome with emotions after she heard stories of the horror and shock the people had experienced-- their houses burnt, family members shot dead and women raped.

“I am really speechless, stunned and disheartened. I have never witnessed such a cruel reality,” Chopra said after listening to the Rohingya children who shared their stories of the Rakhine State with her.

Around 60 percent of the estimated 700,000 Rohingya refugees, who fled the horrific military crackdown in the Rakhine State in late August last year, are children.

The Indian actor, producer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights, on the third day of her four-day long visit, toured five camps in Ukhia of Cox's Bazar. During the visit, she spoke to the children, sometimes in Bangla and sometimes Hindi, and took photos with them.

She reached the Jamtoli Rohingya camp at 9:00am and spent half an hour with children as she walked, surrounded by them, amid tight police security.

Priyanka learned from Mohammad Ali, 12, about their education, food, clothes, medicines and healthcare.

“We are fine here,” he said to Priyanka.

Completing her visit in Jamtoli, she went to Bagghona, Mainarghonea and then the Balukhali and Kutupalong camps. In the Thyangkhali camp she spent an hour, observing their living conditions under the hot sun.

She learned the details from the UNICEF officials who accompanied her during the visit. A lot of people from around and outside the camps gathered to catch a glimpse of the superstar.

Sharing the experience of Mansur Ali, a 12 year old living in the Balukhali camp, Priyanka wrote in an Instagram post that when he first came to the Child Friendly Space (CFS) at the camp, where they hold different activities for the children including art, he could only draw scenes of bloodshed and violence.

The drawings included helicopters shooting at him and his friends while they were playing football, or his village and home engulfed in flames, with burning bodies all around him, she wrote.

“Today, his drawings reflect a more hopeful story, one we would like all these children to have,” she said.

Since these children have arrived in Cox's Bazar, they have been living in overcrowded camps with no real place to call their own, Priyanka said.

She wrote about how the child-friendly spaces created by UNICEF gave the children access to art, music, dance, sports, counseling etc. The spaces have often proved to be very therapeutic, helping these children deal with the horrific situations they had faced, while the aid workers work tirelessly to make sure the children find their spirit again.

She wrote, “Imagine a space that lets you forget your troubles and be a child again... even if it's only for just a few hours a day.”

“It doesn't matter where a child is from or what his or her circumstances are... NO child deserves a life without hope for the future,” she added.

Priyanka is scheduled to return to Dhaka today.