Worrying decline in funding for Rohingya refugees
Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the deadly Myanmar military operations against the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, Myanmar, which led to the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh, fleeing what was described by the then UN human rights chief as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". At the time, there was widespread condemnation of the atrocities committed by the Myanmar military, as well as praise for Bangladesh for opening its borders to the persecuted refugees. However, it is extremely disheartening to see that, four years on, the international community has failed to put its money where its mouth is, as international funding for Rohingya refugees continues to decline.
According to a report in this daily yesterday, the fund for humanitarian assistance for refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar—which ranged between 72 and 75 percent of the total requirement in the first three years since 2017—came down to 65 percent in 2020. Until July this year, USD 366 million has been committed or disbursed, which is only 34 percent of the required amount of around USD one billion for this year. On the other hand, the military coup and recent unrest in Myanmar, which includes brutal crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters, have also put the repatriation of refugees at risk, creating even greater uncertainty in the lives of the refugees trapped in Bangladesh.
It is contemptible that not only has the international community, including ASEAN countries, failed to properly condemn the Myanmar military's unlawful seizure of power, but they are now also failing to support its victims. According to experts, the slashing of humanitarian funds in the camps will only increase the risks of human trafficking, gang violence, drug-related crimes, domestic violence and early marriage, as well as leave Rohingya youth vulnerable to being exploited by extremist groups. It is widely acknowledged that the best way to minimise these risks is to provide education and income-generating activities within the refugee camps, while strictly maintaining law and order. However, this cannot be done by the host country in isolation—the international community must do its fair share in supporting Bangladesh. In turn, the Bangladesh government must also conduct joint campaigns for funding and keep up the pressure on donors, so that we are better equipped to ensure the rights and protection of refugees within our borders.
Already, there are worries that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will take the spotlight away from the Rohingya. However, we cannot accept a situation where the world is only concerned with one crisis at a time, forgetting that other communities and groups are also in dire need of support. Despite being one of the world's most populous nations, Bangladesh has generously hosted Rohingya refugees for decades. It is time the rest of the world came forward and provided robust support for refugee-hosting nations, which includes coming up with comprehensive solutions to the plight of the Rohingya refugees.
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