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| Rohingya refugees, displaced by violence in Myanmar, at a camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. (File) Photo: UNHCR/Saiful Huq Omi |
According to Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) estimates, as of February, some 74,000 Rohingya members were
living in camps and makeshift sites in Bangladesh, many in need of adequate
shelter before the rainy season starts.
“Without proper support, they also face risks such as
child labour, gender-based violence and trafficking,” said Shinji Kubo, UNHCR
Representative in Bangladesh, in a news release issued by the Office.
While Rohingya displacement has persisted for decades, it
made headlines last October when attacks on border posts in Myanmar’s northern
Rakhine province triggered a security clearance operation that drove an
estimated 43,000 civilians into neighbouring Bangladesh by the year’s end.
In a report (issued in February) into the violence, the
UN human rights wing (OHCHR) had documented mass gang-rape, killings, including
that of babies and young children, brutal beatings, disappearances and other
serious human rights violations by Myanmar’s security forces.
Many witnesses and victims interviewed by OHCHR had also
described being taunted while they were being beaten, raped or rounded up, such
as being told “you are Bangladeshis and you should go back” or “What can your
Allah do for you? See what we can do?”
Inter-communal violence, economic hardship driving
desperation
The latest findings released by UNHCR in its new report
on mixed movements in south-east Asia indicate that more than 168,000 Rohingya
members could have fled Myanmar in the last five years. The total number of
Rohingya refugees in the region and those internally displaced is estimated at
420,000 and 120,000 respectively.
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| A boat off the coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine province. (file) Photo: OCHA |
Prior to the recent violence, Malaysia was the preferred
destination for many Rohingya.
Between 2012 and 2015, an estimated 112,500 of them
risked their lives on smuggler’s boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in
the hope of reaching Malaysia, with hopes of finding work in the informal
sector.
Those who made this difficult sea journey ranged from
individuals fleeing the 2012 inter-communal violence in Rakhine to those who
grew increasingly desperate amid restrictions back home on their freedom of
movement and access to services and livelihoods.
However, after regional Governments increased action
against maritime smuggling networks in 2015, the route has been disrupted, with
no confirmed boat arrivals in Malaysia last year. Furthermore, among those who
tried to reach Malaysia overland in 2016, more than 100 – about half of them
Rohingya – were reportedly arrested in Myanmar and Thailand.
The UNHCR report also explores other routes taken by the
Rohingya, including to India via Bangladesh. It notes a steady but slowing
stream of arrivals since 2012 numbering at least 13,000 people.
“Looking at the declining arrival numbers in India, it is
safe to assume that this overland route has not replaced the maritime one,”
said Keane Shum of UNHCR’s Regional Mixed Movements Monitoring Unit.
“Compared to those who went to Malaysia by sea, the
Rohingya in India travelled in larger family units and chose the route as it
was cheaper and safer.”
Young women, girls at particular risk
In addition to analyzing displacement patterns, the
report also looked at the situation of Rohingya women and girls in Malaysia,
India and Indonesia, using a snapshot of some 85 women and girls. The findings
revealed that majority among them were married young (at 16 or 17) and gave
birth at an average age of 18. Almost a third of them reported facing domestic
violence and many said that while they would like to earn their own income,
only a few were doing so despite having skills.
Those in India appeared to be more literate and educated,
and were more likely to have chosen their own husbands. In contrast, those in
Malaysia were more likely to have married someone chosen by their families or
by brokers or agents.
On its part, the UN agency has been working with host
countries on temporary stay and protection of Rohingya refugees, including
supporting them to access basic services and legal work to help them become
more self-reliant until longer-term solutions are found as well as advocating with
the Myanmar authorities for the full resumption of humanitarian access to
vulnerable people in northern Rakhine state.
“We stand ready to support Government efforts to promote
co-existence and address issues related to citizenship,” said UNHCR.