Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Faces: Somalian refugee women in Indonesia

Photo essay: Penniless Somalian refugee women forced to live rough on Jakarta’s streets after their families were killed by Islamic militants and they were smuggled to Indonesia in the hope of finding a better life.

April 2, 2018

Homeless Somalian refugee Stahil poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The 23-year-old, whose family rejected Al-Shabaab’s version of Islamic law, fled her civil war-wracked country after her father was murdered and she was targeted by the militants for shaking hands with a man. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after militants raped them or murdered their family, Stahil has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street.

Homeless Somalian refugee Nourta poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The 19-year-old, whose parents died when she was a child, was sent to Indonesia by an aunty after Al-Shabaab militants beheaded her uncle and attacked the family’s restaurant, which served government employees. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after militants raped them or murdered their family, Nourta has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street.

Homeless Somalian refugee Igra poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The former hotel owner fled her civil war-wracked country in 2015 after militants threatened to cut off her hands for refusing to close down her business. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia, the 27-year-old has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street.

Homeless Somalian refugee Uba poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The 27-year-old fled to Indonesia with the help of neighbours in 2016 due to ongoing domestic violence at the hands of her husband. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia and dumped, Uba has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street. Name changed.

Homeless Somalian refugee Rahma poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The 25-year-old narrowly escaped death when militants beheaded her father and burned her remaining family members alive in an attack on family’s business, which had government employees as customers. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after Al-Shabaab militants raped them or murdered their family, Rahma has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street.

Homeless Somalian refugee Annab poses for a photograph in Jakarta. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after Al-Shabaab militants raped them or murdered their family, Annab has fallen through the aid safety net and sleeps on the street. The 20-year-old, whose family died in fighting between militant groups in Mogadishu, says men regularly harass her at night.

Homeless Somalian refugee Obah poses for a photograph in Jakarta. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after Al-Shabaab militants raped them or murdered their family, Obah, 18, has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street. Around two-thirds of the 13,800 asylum seekers and refugees in the country are dependent on aid or live in government-run immigration detention centres, according to the UNHCR.

Homeless Somalian refugee Hani poses for a photograph in Jakarta. The 23-year-old fled Mogadishu in 2015 after she was abducted and raped. In the months leading up to her departure, Hani’s father, a security guard at a government building, was beheaded and her siblings were killed in a bombing. Like many other Somalian refugee women smuggled to Indonesia after Al-Shabaab militants raped them or murdered their family, Hani has fallen through the aid safety net and lives on the street. Name changed.

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