6 years on the Rohingya reality: Aid depletion and uncertainty of repatriation
From March to June 2023, in a span of just 3 months, food rations were cut twice, bringing it down from $12 per person per month to $8 per person per month. Those watching from afar may not fully comprehend the outcome of such an action
"I don't know what my future looks like" is what I often hear back from the young Rohingya in the Camps. Half a decade after the Rohingya influx in Bangladesh, over a million Rohingyas are still living in makeshift and overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar. They are counting days inside the fences of the camps, with greater uncertainty looming over their heads as global humanitarian funding shrinks and disaster intensifies due to climate change.
In the last three years, global funding for the Rohingya crisis has declined sharply. In 2021, 70% of the target of the Joint Response Plan was met, which fell to 60% in 2022 and halved in a year to 30% in 2023 (as of mid-2023). From March to June 2023, in a span of just 3 months, food rations were cut twice, bringing it down from $12 per person per month to $8 per person per month. Those watching from afar may not fully comprehend the outcome of such an action. However, for us on the ground catastrophic impacts of the fund cut are already visible among the population.
For instance, according to the ration reduction outcome survey, 94% of the Rohingyas reported deterioration of food and nutrition, and borrowing food and money increased from 26% to 51%, since the ration cuts.
Let us be clear that the impacts of such fund cuts disproportionately affect women and children, who make up more than 75% of the refugee population. They face higher risks of malnutrition, abuse, exploitation, and gender-based violence.
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Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar have endured decades of persecution and systematic discrimination. Myanmar is not known for being a nation of separate ethnic groups coexisting side by side! 1982 was a critical year for the Rohingyas as they were deprived of their citizenship of Myanmar. Since the crisis intensified in 2017 and the genocide occurred it was visible to the world that neither the former government nor the current government referred to the refugees as 'Rohingyas'. The previous repatriation measures failed, citing the same excuse: Myanmar asked for identification prior to any repatriation.
The need to rethink and re-strategise actions for the Rohingyas, therefore, could not have been more pressing than now. Sporadic short-term commitments for solutions from global leaders will not bring durable solutions. The repatriation plan of Rohingyas in small batches to a model village in Myanmar thus makes us doubtful and anxious.
The future of a million Rohingyas dwindles as a result, depriving them of their right to live a safe and dignified life. So, as we wait for safe, voluntary, and meaningful repatriation measures, we must acknowledge the rights and potential of the Rohingyas to live better.
In the face of rising disasters and deteriorating camp order due to the floods and struggles to deal with water scarcity and waste management, it is imperative to develop an effective plan. On the one hand, the camps being situated in Cox's Bazar, a hilly and disaster-prone area of Bangladesh, the Rohingya communities face repeated disasters, living with risks of life, displacement, gender-based violence, that is multiple challenges.
There have also been multiple reports of fire outbreaks in the camps, which can be particularly catastrophic due to the high density of population and the significant percentage (over 50%) of the population being children.
Besides disaster management measures in camps, efforts also need to be made in disaster preparedness by bringing durable solutions into place. The temporary shelters need to be made disaster-resilient; shelters need to be moved from landslide-prone areas; and communities need to be made resilient to mitigate and address disasters. The WASH facilities need to be strengthened to ensure communities do not suffer from access to safe drinking water due to the rising water crisis in the summer.
To ensure social cohesion and peace inside the camps, stricter measures need to be taken to prevent militant activities and drug paddling. With declining support due to a shortage of funds and the influence of vested groups, the communities lie at risk of rising violence in the camps. In the last couple of months several incidents have been reported in the camps. Even, a few days ago, I woke up to the news of the death of a Rohingya youth in the camp. Collective efforts to prevent such unfortunate incidents is critical.
Emphasis needs to be given to ensuring Rohingyas have opportunities, thus investment in skill development is mandatory, with special attention to skill diversification and creating opportunities to meaningfully utilise those skills. The world has witnessed how, even with limited resources, the Rohingyas have excelled in honing skills in sewing, embroidery, homestead gardening, mobile repairing, construction related work etc.
The display centres in the camps, with colourful handicrafts and homestead gardening on the roof and surrounding the shelters, are prime testaments to their potential. However, to ensure the population reaps full and sustainable benefits, diversification to promote employable skills and the establishment of market linkages for temporary earnings need to be ensured. Global partners must remember they cannot keep slashing support without first building community's capacities and resilience to be self-reliant.
Lastly, there cannot be any denial that Rohingyas are humans first. Their identities matter, and their rights matter. What should not matter be their ethnicity, which in the current geo-political situation seems to influence decisions related to their lives and the funding and support from the global leaders. This is daunting and absurd, to say the least.
Without timely support, they will continue to be caught in a state of limbo, unable to return, and banned from having a dignified life in Bangladesh. We need urgent action now. We cannot fail a million people, more than half of whom are children—the next generation—to have the right to live as humans.
Farah Kabir is the Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
