Not on paper, anyway. Before they were born, their parents fled their home country of Myanmar and landed in Malaysia, a country which does not grant legal status to refugees, including future generations. Without a nationality, the sisters have been robbed of any form of identification, education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. They were born with no rights.

#NoRightToExist is a story about courage. The courage of two sisters who dare to survive and dare to be proud of who they are. The daily challenges of being illegal are unimaginable. Fear of being reported and detained by the authorities permeates every aspect of their lives. But worse than the fear, is the feeling of invisibility.

As second generation refugees, the sisters have fallen between the cracks. They no longer identify with the culture of their parents, but they are not accepted as Malaysian. They are left with only each other and a virtual world they have discovered where they can belong: social media.

With no requirements for identification, social media is the only space the sisters have found to create their own identities without the label ‘refugee’. They can express themselves they way they want to be seen.

#NoRightToExist is a challenge to the common perception of refugees and the limited understanding of their long term struggles. Malaysia is not unique in the region. With nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees scattered throughout South and Southeast Asia, countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Pakistan do not recognize refugees either.

This work was developed in close collaboration with the sisters. They shared their thoughts and dreams and contributed art and writing. This work gives them a voice in the representation of their own identity.

Laila and Siti exist here.