Jodah Khatun was born in 1947, a year that marked both the birth of a new era and the beginning of a life defined by hardship. Raised in the village of Firkhali, Taung Bazar, Jodah’s childhood was cut short by the loss of her parents.To ensure her survival, she was raised by a local family and married young to Nazir Ahmed, a local farmer.
In those days, life in Rakhine State followed the rhythms of the land and the traditions of Sharia law. Jodah recalls her marriage—a simple union witnessed by community elders and an Imam, secured with a modest mahr of four grams of gold and two of silver.
Jodah described that the life she had in childhood was a nightmare and she never enjoyed her childhood like other children
A Cycle of Loss
Jodah’s life has been a testament to endurance. After ten years of marriage and the birth of two daughters, her husband passed away. As a widow, she raised her children alone, eventually seeing them married within their village. However, tragedy struck twice: her eldest daughter succumbed to asthma, and her second daughter died during childbirth.
“When I had land and possessions in Myanmar, I was never alone,” Jodah recalls. “Relatives would visit and care for me.” Over the years, she sold her plots of land piece by piece to maintain a dignified life, eventually moving in with her granddaughter and her granddaughter’s husband.
Historical Black Shadows
The practice of early marriage in Jodah’s youth was often a desperate measure for safety. Families feared the “Furikha”—a militant group known for targeting young girls. To protect their daughters’ dignity and security, parents often sought the protection of marriage before the girls reached adulthood. In those times, the whole Arakan was under the domination of militant group name as Furikha.
General people had to work under them for everything and even people were treated badly by them if the people couldn’t finish their works in time. Young girls and beautiful women and mid-aged people had to face a lot of difficulties and persecution under them.
She claimed, ” Many young girls had to marry before they became adulthood because there was no safety and security for them”
Two Flights for Freedom
Jodah’s first experience as a refugee came in 1992, when she fled to Bangladesh to escape forced labor and state atrocities. After three and a half years in the Balukhali camp, she returned home under a bilateral agreement, hoping for peace.
That peace shattered in 2017. As military operations intensified, bringing fire and arbitrary arrests to Firkhali, Jodah was forced to flee once more. Now elderly and unable to walk long distances, her granddaughter’s husband carried her on his shoulders for miles. Eventually, faced with the impossible choice of carrying his pregnant wife and children or an elderly relative, Jodah was left behind with a group of fellow villagers.
Fourteen Days of Rain
For seven days and nights, Jodah survived alone in the dense jungle. She had no sandals, no rain protection, and only a small wooden stick for support. She survived by eating wild plants and weeds while the monsoon rains turned the earth into a treacherous sludge.
“I died halfway through that journey,” she says, describing the exhaustion. It took 14 days to reach the border. Upon arrival, a local woman provided her with food and shelter until she was eventually reunited with her granddaughter in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar.
I saw many dead bodies with my own eyes while I was in jungle for a few days and there were no prayers for them.
The Present Reality
Today, Jodah Khatun lives in a small bamboo shelter, suffering from hypertension, asthma, and chronic pain. Despite the hardships of camp life, she has no desire to return to her homeland. “There is nothing left for me there,” she explains. “Here, at least, there is a shelter and a ration to survive.”
I don’t have anyone to stand with me financially to support me for my treatment and I just rely on my Allah and HE is the only hope for me