Life in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, was unbearably tough for two little boys who always felt like they wanted to be girls. Their families were ashamed, and the threat of rape and repression was ever-present.
But even in Sweden they don't feel fully safe after receiving death threats from fellow Kurds who think the pair are bringing shame on their people.
“We came here to be free,” Sirwan says.
But a processing backlog means they have not yet met anyone from the migration agency, and they are worried that their asylum application could be turned down.
“Then we’ll be totally screwed.”
Read the full interview on The Local Voices
Karwan and Sirwan. Photo: Private