Rohingya refugees, who fled from Myanmar, are one of the most persecuted communities in the world. The Burmese army, for decades, continues to unleash nerve racking violence on them. Thus, many of them were forced to flee from Myanmar to neighbouring countries in order to save their lives. They sought refuge in countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, as far as Papua New Guinea and Nauru. But, Bangladesh received the highest number of Rohingya refugees, accounting for approximately 1.1 million refugees. India too had seen migration of Rohingya refugees. It is believed that there are around 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in India.
Refugees fleeing Myanmar on boats by being forced to endanger their lives.
Image Source : 2020 was ‘deadliest’ year ever for Rohingya sea journeys: UNHCR | Rohingya News | Al Jazeera
However, they are often subjected to living in pathetic conditions. As noted above, Bangladesh holds the highest number of these refugees. They are located in southern Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, like elsewhere, face innumerable daily challenges for their survival. The problems faced by them speaks of the daunting challenges that refugees all over the world face on a daily basis. In this case, it is the systemic persecution by Burmese army which compelled them to flee their native Rakhine province. The United Nations (UN) describes it as the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya. However, it is the children who face most of the misery, as children account for 60% of refugees. It hampers their education and health, thus impacting their overall growth. Rohingya refugees continue to live in miserable conditions and face several humongous challenges.
Health
Health issues are the prime concern for Rohingya refugees. They live in miserable conditions characterised by unhygienic and poorly built tents and camps. Thus, they are easily vulnerable to diseases. Population density further exacerbates this concern. The spread of communicable diseases in refugee camps always remains the concern because of unhygienic and unsuitable conditions in which Rohingya refugees are subjected to live. The refugee camps, in the rainy season, regularly face the outbreak of diphtheria because of the unavailability of clean water. The contamination of water raises the risk of water borne diseases because of the precarious water and sanitation system in the refugee camps. Thus, Rohingya refugees are bereft of even fundamental rights and services such as access to clean drinking water.
Women and girls face the problem of difficult access to sexual and reproductive health care. Due to the traditionally patriarchal society, women stand to lose the most.I Many a times, they are denied freedom of movement, face human rights violations such as human trafficking and domestic violence. Thus, their problems do not just magically disappear after fleeing from Myanmar. On arriving in refugee camps, they are confronted with new challenges.
There is little to no availability of mental health care services. Most of the Rohingya refugees face psychological problems because of the persecution and violence which made them flee their homes. They face various mental health complications such as trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. This often leads to the cycle of intergenerational trauma as well. Some NGOs are trying to provide mental healthcare services but still largely there remains accessibility to these healthcare services.
Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar.
Education
As noted above, children account for 60% of Rohingya refugees. Usually, they do not not get proper access to formal schools and other educational services. Some NGOs have worked with the Bangladeshi government to create “temporary learning centres” (TLCs) but those are a mere substitute as the name suggests and inTLCs facilitators teach, not teachers. The TLCs cannot fill the void of schools. They provide only two hours of teaching a day. Moreover, they don’t provide any certificate or document recognising academic qualification. So, children in the refugee camps do not get proper school education which hampers their overall growth and education. This reason also contributes to increased levels of unemployment within the community and sometimes their indulgence in criminal activities.
Safety Concerns
The criminal activities are very prevalent in refugee camps. The risk of human trafficking, missing children and sexual assault remains high in the those camps. Safety at night is another major issue. The presence of criminals in the camps creates fear. Also, the host population has not been very considerate towards their plight. Various cases of quarrel have been reported between locals and the Rohingya refugees. The camps are also a fertile ground for Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) who utilises the violence unleashed by the Burmese army to recruit youths from the camps and indulge them in criminal activities. This is also creating rift between locals and Rohingya refugees, which is creating conflict among them.
Safety for children and women’s is a major concern in this refugee camps
Food
Getting access to food is a major problem for Rohingya refugees. As Rohingya are refugees and refugees need relief materials as they have fled their homes. So, providing food material is the duty of the host country. But, many of the countries which are hosting Rohingya refugees are themselves burdened by their own population needs. Therefore, providing food supplies to refugees takes the back seat. Further, many of the Rohingya refugees did not get the job, so don’t have any means to buy food and feed their families. Thus, getting food is another big problem which Rohingya refugees face.
Thus, Rohingya refugees continue to face innumerable hurdles in their daily day to day life ranging from floods, camp fires and landslides to unavailability of clean water and healthcare services. This speaks about the misery of refugees, not just Rohingya refugees but also other refugee communities in the world.. As people who have been lucky enough to live in relatively peaceful countries, it is our moral responsibility to take cognisance of the problems that refugees face and ensure they get appropriate living conditions and welcoming environment, in search of which they fled their native homeland.
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About the Author
Harshit Prajapati is a Master’s student in International Relations and Area Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He’s interested in studying different aspects about war and conflicts.