Maung Sawyeddollah was 15 when Myanmar’s military unleashed a campaign of killings and violence against people from the Rohingya ethnic group. Incitement circulated on Facebook, and amplified by the platform’s algorithms, fed into these attacks. Fearing for their lives, Sawyeddollah and his family fled to Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh. Now, Sawyeddollah and others from his community are calling on Meta, owner of Facebook, to pay reparations for its role in the atrocities, including funding for educational programmes in Cox’s Bazar.

Six years ago, life wasn’t easy for Maung Sawyeddollah, but he enjoyed playing football and dreamed of becoming a doctor. However, in 2017, when he was 15, his life was upended.

The Myanmar military unleashed ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya – an ethnic minority who have faced decades of severe state-sponsored discrimination in Myanmar. Thousands of Rohingya were killed, raped, tortured, and their villages burned.

Fearing for their lives, Sawyeddollah and his family walked 15 days to Bangladesh. They reached Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, where they still live.

Sawyeddollah now wants to be a lawyer, seeking justice for the suffering around him. In addition to studying, he campaigns for Facebook’s owner, Meta, to take responsibility for its contribution to the atrocities. Years before the attacks, Meta’s algorithms amplified anti-Rohingya incitement on the Facebook platform, fueling the Myanmar military’s violence.

Sawyeddollah and his family have lost everything, but he still has hope. He and his community are calling on Meta to pay reparations for its role in the atrocities, including funding for educational programmes in Cox’s Bazar. He believes that education will help rebuild the shattered lives of people in his community.