From child soldier and refugee to defence lawyer, Deng Thiak Adut’s story is truly inspiring and a classic case of rising up against all odds.
Born in Sudan, Adut was taken away from his mother at six, marched for 33 days and forced to fight with rebels in Ethiopia. At 12 years-old, Adut was shot in the back. He spent years fighting but eventually managed to escape to Kenya. With the help of the UN he was smuggled out of Sudan together with his brother and in 1998 arrived in Australia as an illiterate 15-year-old refugee.
Deng Thiak
Adut taught himself to read and in 2005 he enrolled for a Bachelors of Law at the Western Sydney University and graduated with a law degree. Adut now works as a lawyer in Sydney, determined to help other refugees with legal advice and support.
In a world inundated with negative stories about refugees and immigrants, Adut’s story is indeed extraordinary and a video on Adut’s journey by Western Sydney University highlights this remarkable story.
