A ray of hope for Rohingya women

A small factory in Cox's Bazar, situated in camp number 5, is employing 150 Rohingya women, to produce eco-friendly jute bags.

The bags are being used as an alternative to polythene, which was previously distributed in the camps by donor groups, contributing to environmental pollution.

The factory was launched in 2020 under the Rohingya Livelihood and Skill Development Project, with only 30 employees. It has since expanded and now produces 6 lakh jute bags per year. Workers earn Tk 200 per day for 4 hours of work,

The centre prioritises the employment of victims of sexual abuse, widows, and physically challenged women. The project is supported by the NGO Forum and UNHCR, and six similar centres are operating in the camp under UNHCR's livelihood and skill development project, employing around 1200 Rohingya, mostly women.

Mizanur Rahman, refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, said the government is developing a vocational training framework for the life skills of Rohingya and allowing development agencies to work in the camps to improve the skills of the Rohingya community.

Take the case of Halima Begum, 32, for instance. Displaced from Myanmar, she arrived in the Cox's Bazar camp in 2017. The factory gave her the chance to make extra money and become self-sufficient when all hope seemed lost.

"I have been working in this factory for two years. First, I received 40 days of training in producing jute bags. Now I earn Tk 200 every day, after only 4 hours of work."

Renuara Khatun, 28, is a Rohingya woman whose husband was shot dead by the Myanmar army in 2017. She too has been working as a labourer in this factory for two years.

"I am working in this factory to support my three children. I spend the money earned from here on their education, medicine, food and cloth. This work gave me the courage to start anew," she added.

The centre's manager Urbi Chakma said, "We prioritise hiring Rohingya women who have experienced sexual assault, and physical challenges and are widows. We don't let employees work more than four hours every day because we want to provide as many ladies as possible the chance to get employment."

Six centres are in operation in the camp as part of our livelihood and skill development project, according to Subrata Kumar Chakraborty, livelihood officer for UNHCR.

"The initiative to use jute bags in Rohingya camps will do a remarkable job in protecting the environment as thousands of people live close together in a dense area at the Rohingya camps," said Mohammad Kamal Hossain, a former professor of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science at Chattogram University.

In 2020, a High Court directed the concerned authorities to ban single-use plastic in coastal areas and all hotels and motels across the country.

Besides, the Jute Packaging Act 2010 for six essential items (paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertiliser, sugar) promoted an alternative to plastic packaging.