At Refugee Camps, Most Birthdays Fall on New Year’s
The New York Times••world
Key Points:
- Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps share the same official birthday, January 1, due to U.N. registration practices following their displacement in 2017.
- The date was arbitrarily assigned by overwhelmed U.N. aid workers, not reflecting the refugees' actual birth dates, causing many to have inaccurate personal records.
- This shared birthday has become a source of humor on social media among refugees, though it also highlights the loss of identity and statelessness they experience.
- For individuals like Mohammed Faruque, the incorrect birthday on his refugee ID symbolizes a deeper loss of personal history and connection to his homeland.
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