5 years on, UN refugee agency urges revamped support for Rohingya refugees

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) – This week marks five years since more than 700,000 minority Rohingya women, men, and children fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands of others who had previously found refuge there, and now the US is pushing for more aid to help the Muslim minority.

The latest exodus from Myanmar is now officially defined as a protracted situation, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a press conference on Tuesday about the refugees.

“The UNHCR is appealing for much greater efforts to secure financial support and solutions for the Rohingya,” she said.

“Since the onset of this humanitarian crisis, the government of Bangladesh and local communities, with aid agencies, were quick to respond to arriving refugees, providing shelter in what is now the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.”

Five years later, many Rohingya refugees have told the UNHCR they wish to return home to Myanmar if conditions for safe, dignified, and sustainable returns are met, and they can enjoy freedoms, she added.

The conditions include freedom of movement, access to documentation, a pathway to citizenship, and access to services and income-generating activities.

“For the almost 1 million stateless Rohingya refugees, conditions in Bangladesh are extremely overcrowded, and they remain fully reliant on humanitarian assistance for their survival,” she explained.

“With decreased funding, they face many challenges in their daily lives. Multiple humanitarian assessment surveys have found that the most commonly unmet needs include proper nutrition, shelter materials, sanitation facilities, and livelihood opportunities.”

Mantoo said that some have resorted to dangerous boat journeys to seek a better future.

She said that protection needs are often under-reported, especially for women, children, and people with disabilities.

- Violence against children

The UN agency said that violence against children and women, especially based on gender, is shrouded in stigma that can render survivors voiceless, often unable to access legal, medical, psycho-social, or other forms of support.

“Support must be stepped up for education, skills development, and livelihood opportunities,” said Mantoo.

“These activities will prepare refugees for eventual return while also helping them remain safe and productive during their stay in Bangladesh.”

Some 10,000 Rohingya children in Bangladesh are already enrolled in the Myanmar curriculum, taught in the country’s primary language.

The UNHCR said support for sustained and expanded access to the Myanmar curriculum is needed.

Such support is on the way to more formal education and helps close the gap for older children who previously had no learning opportunities.

Bangladesh currently hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in their home country of Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017.