Desperate Rohingyas turning to crimes
Three years after the largest ever influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, crimes like murder, abduction, extortion and narcotics smuggling continue to burgeon at the world's biggest refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar. In 2018, 208 criminal cases were filed against members of the Rohingya community. That figure rose to 263 last year. And in the first seven months of this year, 178 cases have already been filed against the Rohingyas. This, according to law enforcers, is only the tip of the iceberg, as a large number of crimes including murder, abduction, and sexual harassment go unreported inside the camps.
Three years after the Rohingyas were brutally forced out of their country by the Myanmar authorities, there are still no signs of any environment being created for their safe return. Despite pretending as if it would work with the Bangladesh government to facilitate the return of Rohingyas now living as refugees in Bangladesh, the Myanmar government has done nothing towards that end.
Three years of hardships and uncertainty have left the Rohingyas increasingly more desperate. This has led to an explosion of drug trade involving Rohingyas living in the Cox's Bazar camps. Along with abductions related to unpaid money brought in through hundi, the drug trade is responsible for a large share of the crimes that have been happening inside the camps. As the number of crimes involving Rohingyas increases and their effect spills over even outside of the camps, locals are becoming more apprehensive.
This is not how any individual, let alone an entire community, can be expected to live, year after year, with no end in sight. The Bangladesh government has done all it can, with its limited resources, to give shelter to the Rohingyas. However, the international community must recognise that Bangladesh does not have much more to give to these tormented people. With that in mind, and after recognising that it is the Myanmar government that has been their tormentor, the international community must hold the Myanmar authorities responsible and convince them to create an environment that will allow the Rohingyas to safely return to their homes. The longer the situation persists, the more crimes will occur in the camps, and more Rohingya lives will continue to be lost or scarred.
Comments