World Refugee Day: What will become of the Rohingya children?

Sulaiman’s birth, about two months ago, did not bring the joy that any parent would have expected to experience at the birth of one’s firstborn. It was sweet to hold the new born baby, to feel the pride and joy he gives, but could there be a calm assurance of the uncertain days this child will have to face because of the anxiety, of the kind of life that child would have to face, what the world would have to offer, his future - these frightening thoughts kept creeping into the mind of the parents.

What these parents felt was an all-consuming anxiety, not knowing what the future held for this infant when they, the parents themselves were battling to find a steady footing for themselves.

Sulaiman’s parents, Abdur Rahim and Jobaida Khatun, are a Rohingya couple who, along with thousands of others, crossed over to Bangladesh in last December fleeing a brutal crackdown by Myanmar security forces in the country’s Rakhine state, home to the ethnic minority group. 

“We ran away to save our lives leaving everything behind and now Sulaiman has given us reason to live. I am not sure what the future holds for us. Can a refugee camp give my son a good life and future that we had always hoped our children would have?” said Abdur Rahman, who is currently staying in one of the makeshift Rohingya settlements in Cox’s Bazar. 

Cox’s Bazar is the border district where more than 700,000 Rohingyas have taken refuge in the last 10 months to escape the military persecution against them in their homeland, according to the UNHCR.  They joined more than 400,000 other Rohingyas who are already living in the squalid, cramped camps in the district.

According to Unicef, more than 16,000 Rohingya babies have been born inside the refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar in the first nine months of the exodus that started on August 25, 2017. 

International children’s rights advocate Save the Children as well as the International Organization for Migration’s “Needs and Population Monitoring Report” estimated in February that 48,000 more Rohingya babies would be born by the end of 2018.

“These babies are taking their first breath in appalling conditions, away from home, to mothers who have survived displacement, violence, trauma and, at times, rape. This is far from the best start in life,” said Edouard Beigbeder, Unicef representative in Bangladesh.

A bleak future

It’s not just the newborns who are facing an uncertain life. 

Ten-year-old Barakat, who once dreamed of getting a government job after finishing school so he could help his community to progress, had to leave everything behind to flee to Bangladesh. Struggling to survive now, he has no idea if he will ever get to finish school. 

Unicef says nearly 60% of the 700,000 Rohingyas that took refuge in Bangladesh since August 25 are children. Many of these children were orphaned and came to Bangladesh with their relatives, or by themselves. 

Having suffered the trauma of a violent displacement, these children are now stuck in limbo at the refugee camps, with limited access to basic human rights.

“All Rohingya refugee children in the camps in Cox’s Bazar face immense challenges. Babies born in the camps are starting their lives in some of the grimmest imaginable conditions,” said Beatriz Ochoa, Save the Children’s advocacy manager based in Cox’s Bazar. 

“We must remember that this is a children’s emergency. Children have fled horrific violence in Myanmar, seeing things that no child should ever see... Many are in urgent need of adequate support to recover from the traumatic experiences they have gone through,” she told the Dhaka Tribune. 

About three quarters of refugee children have no access to education being displaced, until a long-term solution to crisis is found, she further said. 

Nur Khan Liton, a local rights activist who is a ground worker in Cox’s Bazar, said: “The Rohingya children, especially school-goers, are out of their educational system due to the crisis. Authorities and aid agencies should take them under the Myanmar-based curriculum so they can resume their education in Rakhine after repatriation.”

From the frying pan, into the fire

According to a report published jointly by Save the Children, Plan International and World Vision on February 24, Rohingya children in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, physical and sexual abuse, and wild animal attacks, among other risks. 

Rohingya girls are afraid to use the camp toilets fearing assault, and often wait for hours until the men clear out of the area. 

“Sometimes thieves come in and steal our belongings; we have no way to lock our houses,” said Al-Amin a Rohingya boy.

Several children in the camps said they were afraid to go into the nearby forests to collect firewood because the locals hurled obscenities at them. 

There is also the risk of attacks by wild elephants and snakes in the forests, they added. 

“A girl in our camp was raped when she went to collect firewood at night,” said a Rohingya girl, who did not give her name.

The risk of child trafficking has been identified as a major risk at the camps, especially for the orphans.