Abdullah has fled from war

Abdullah's family used to live in southern Iraq. His parents owned a vegetable shop there. Abdullah was three years old when the war in Iraq broke out. When he was nine, dangerous things started happening near the family home. A bomb would explode just outside the apartment.

- Once a car exploded at four in the morning. We woke up to the bang and people screaming. We ran away," says Abdullah.

Difficult to find a safe place to live

It was difficult to find a safe place to live. Abdullah's family lived in new places almost every month. They brought clothes and essentials with them. Abdullah's parents had to take the bus to work at the shop. Sometimes they slept over at the shop.

- I was scared and had trouble sleeping," he says.

Abdullah remembers bombs going off almost every night. He says it was difficult to go to school because of the war and the only thing to eat was pickled vegetables.

Father was captured

Abdullah's father was captured along with 50 other men. An armed group blamed them for several bombings and other problems. Abdullah's father was also beaten.

- One night, a gang from the group came and took both my father and my brother with them. They beat up my brother. My mom protested and shouted "He's just a kid!".

The family decided to flee

When his brother returned, the family decided that he had to flee. The brother and his cousin fled first, but Abdullah's father thought the whole family should leave the war.

- We decided on Sweden because Dad had read that it was a country that respected human rights. Mom got us passports and then we sold everything we owned. We sold the vegetable shop too.

The family went to the airport at night and flew from Baghdad up to the north of Iraq. Then they took a bus to Turkey.

- In Turkey, we found a person who helped us find a boat to Greece.

The boat they were to travel in was a small rubber dinghy that they shared with forty others.

- When we got out to sea, the boat broke down. We were out at sea for six hours.

Eventually, a larger fishing boat helped them get back to Turkey. The man who helped them in the first place arranged another boat and this time they made it to Greece.

The family fled to Sweden

After a long journey by bus and train, Abdullah's family arrived in Malmö, Sweden.

- It was difficult at first when I didn't know the language. Now I'm really enjoying school and learning a lot. I have made good friends everywhere," says Abdullah.

In Iraq, he did not want to go to school.

- There, you were beaten if you forgot your homework or didn't wear your school uniform. In Sweden, teachers and students respect each other. That's good," says Abdullah, who is happy to live in peace.

This text was originally published on January 1, 2018.