A video released by Western Sydney University telling the story of one of their graduates, Deng Thiak Adut, a Sudanese refugee and former child soldier, has gone viral, gaining 350 000 views since it was uploaded on September 3.

The film shows the atrocities Adut faced as a child and his eventual path to freedom and security in Australia.

Adut was taken from his mother at the age of six in Sudan and forced to become a child soldier in Ethiopia.

He was shot in the back at the age of 12 and was eventually smuggled out of the country by the United Nations.

He found sanctuary and support in Sydney, teaching himself to read at the age of 15, the video shows.

By 2009 Adut had obtained a law degree at Western Sydney University and determined to help others. He then specialised in criminal law at the University of New South Wales and the University of Wollongong.

Adut now works as a lawyer in Bankstown, Australia.