蜜桃交友

By Francesca Merlo

Almost one million Rohingya refugees are living in some of the world鈥檚 largest refugee camps in Bangladesh鈥檚 Cox鈥檚 Bazar area. 鈥淯nfortunately, nobody talks about Rohingya refugees anymore鈥� but the situations inside, and outside, the camps is getting worse and worse.

Sultana Begum, Asia regional head of humanitarian policy for Save the Children, describes the living conditions in Cox鈥檚 Bazar as being 鈥渞eally squalid鈥�. 鈥淪ecurity at the camp is terrible, there are lots of armed groups and violence is rising鈥�, she tells Pope. It is clear from this brief description that it is no place for a child to grow up. But children comprise over half of the refugees in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, so the Rohingya crisis 鈥渞eally is a children鈥檚 crisis鈥�.

The Rohingyas

Rohingyas are an ethnic minority group, predominantly Muslim, who reside primarily in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Rohingya lived in Myanmar. 

Pope Francis has often prayed for Rohingyas, including last Wednesday during his weekly General Audience, during which he asked that the world not forget the Rohingya refugees. But the reality, says Ms Begum, is that 鈥渢he Rohingya crisis is a forgotten crisis. We're seven years in, it's protracted. The media attention span is really short. It's moved on to other stories鈥�. 

The reality for children

Now, around 500,000 Rohingya children live in the camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, and many of them, according to Ms Begum, 鈥渁re already showing signs of depression and anxiety鈥�.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e confined to the camps, with very little movement鈥� and they鈥檙e losing any hope that they have for a better future, especially the older ones who neither have access to work nor to schooling. 鈥淲e do have safe spaces where we can support the younger ones to play and be children and we have psycho-social support programs, but are they enough?鈥� asks Ms Begum. 鈥淚 would say no鈥�.

Disaster on top of disaster

But on top of that, Ms Begum reminds us that Bangladesh is one of the world's worst disaster-prone areas. She explains that the camps have been built on what was once a forest. 鈥淲hen it rains, the flimsy bamboo shelters, which are built high on hills, can be washed away. There's flooding鈥�.

And the weather conditions worsen an already disastrous healthcare situation. 鈥淚llness is a big problem in the congested camps鈥�, and children and families are very susceptible to a lot of diseases, like dengue. On top of that, many of the children are very malnourished.

Rohingya refugees rebuild their makeshift house, destroyed by a cyclone, Cox's Bazar

Stateless

But the horrors that Rohingya refugees face go much further than Bangladesh. Ms Begum describes it as 鈥渁 catch-22 situation鈥�: They are unable to go home but life in Cox鈥檚 Bazar is desperate.

Like no other persecuted group in the world, the Rohingyas are stateless, meaning that they have no legal documents: 鈥淭hey don't have a passport, they're displaced in a region where most of these governments in the region don't recognize refugees鈥�, meaning that they are under no legal obligation to provide them with support. 鈥淭hey're so vulnerable鈥�, warns Ms Begum, highlighting the risk of violence, child labour, human trafficking and child marriage. 鈥淭hey're also often treated as immigrants and they're detained or deported for immigration offences.鈥�

Malaysian authorities escort a handcuffed detainee towards a detention centre, Malaysia

The Rohingya refugees are almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive. After food aid was cut last year, 鈥渄esperate Rohingya refugees resorted to marrying off girls in high numbers or putting boys at work just because they needed to survive鈥�.

Desperately seeking better life

鈥淪o, they take these dangerous sea journeys, particularly from Bangladesh to countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia鈥�. They risk their lives in the hope of leading better ones, hoping to work, and in some cases to be reunited with family. Last year almost 600 people died in this crossing.

鈥淕etting on these boats means being at the mercy of traffickers and at risk of abuse and exploitation. They're often packed in these boats with insufficient food and water and they're often also physically abused at the hand of smugglers鈥�, says Ms Begum, recounting the story she was told by a young 14-year-old boy who survived the crossing, despite the hundreds of refugees on board with him running out of food and water days before reaching land.

A Newly arrived Rohingya refugee walks to the beach after the local community decided to temporarily allow them to land for water and food, Aceh province, Indonesia

Until the Rohingya are able to return home to Myanmar, what is essential is that improvements are made by governments in the region. 鈥淭hey have to rescue and assist and support these people and show compassion鈥�, says Ms Begum.

The international community

鈥淯nfortunately, people don't really speak about the situation for Rohingya refugees anymore鈥�. While part of the solution to the crisis lies in a political solution in Myanmar, the international community has an essential role in different areas. Although 鈥淏angladesh did an incredible thing letting Rohingya refugees in鈥�, it is a poor country and other countries need to take more responsibility and support Bangladesh through humanitarian aid.

Cox's Bazar

A desire to go home

The refugees in the camps say that they want to go home, but only when the conditions are safe, 鈥渨hen they have basic rights and when they have citizenship and access to things like services so they can survive鈥�. But, what Ms Begum says they are saying now is that 鈥渢he conditions in Myanmar aren't conducive for safe returns鈥�. Until that changes, 鈥渋t's really up to the international community to provide extra support to these vulnerable people because without documents, without the state, and without recognition as refugees, they are in a very difficult situation鈥�.

Pope Francis' voice

Pope Francis has often prayed for the Rohingyas, with his latest appeal dating back to February 7, while praying for peace during his weekly General Audience.

鈥淚 think his voice and the voices of the Church is going to be incredibly important鈥�, says Ms Begum. Having figures such as Pope Francis speaking up for the rights of Rohingyas is very important, firstly so that 鈥渢he Rohingya know that the international community hasn't forgotten them鈥� but also because 鈥渨e need to continue to shine a spotlight on the situation of the Rohingya because they remain one of the most vulnerable groups in the world鈥�, they deserve a voice, and people need to apply pressure to world leaders to give them aid, as well as to find a political solution.