In Cox's Bazar refugee camps, about 95 children are born daily, yet the overall number of Rohingyas is decreasing.
Although some Rohingyas have left the camps and dispersed outside, making it less noticeable among the nearly one million people, there's no accurate count of how many have left in the past seven years.
Despite regular registration monitoring and the presence of barbed wire fences, there have been reports of Rohingya men and women escaping the camps and blending into the general population of Bangladesh.
Battling drugs with sports in the Rohingya campsThis has led to severe social security and environmental concerns in Cox's Bazar, according to local rights activists.
On August 25, 2017, facing military persecution in Myanmar, the Rohingyas fled Rakhine and sought refuge in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
On February 15, the Ministry of Defense presented a report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defense regarding the law and order and health situation in the Rohingya camps.
The report states that around 95 children are born daily in the camps, and by 2025, the Rohingya population could increase to 1.2 to 1.3 million.
Contrary to this projection, UNHCR's data shows that currently, 979,306 Rohingyas from over 200,000 families are residing in Bangladesh.
Among them, 52% are children, 44% are adults, and 4% are elderly.
According to the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), responsible for coordinating international organizations on Rohingya issues, 1,118,576 Rohingyas were registered under the biometric system after they arrived in the camps post-August 25, 2017.
However, currently, only 979,306 Rohingyas are accounted for in the camps.
When will Rohingya return to Myanmar?It is believed that over a hundred thousand of these new Rohingyas have merged with the local population.
The story of the Rohingyas, who were forcibly displaced and entered Bangladesh seven years ago, seems never-ending.
Some claim that Rohingyas are blending into the general population after leaving the camps, while others say they are obtaining birth certificates in Bangladesh for a small sum of money.
There are also reports of Rohingyas acquiring national identity cards and passports.
Rights activists argue that it is unlikely for such a large population to remain confined to one area for years. It is natural for them to spread out and try to integrate into normal life.
The only solution to the Rohingya crisisHowever, the government's Refugee Repatriation Commission denies the claim that a large number of Rohingyas have left the camps, stating that the number is not significant.
Ayachur Rahman, general secretary of the "Save Cox's Bazar Movement," said that the situation could become more complicated if the Rohingyas, who are involved in various crimes, are not repatriated to Myanmar.
He said that there seems to be no sign of their return. “The way they are blending into the general population outside the camps is concerning, and many Rohingyas have also entered the country using various tactics, most of whom have not entered the camps. If the current government takes the initiative, there might be some new developments,” he added.
When asked how the number of Rohingyas is decreasing despite 95 children being born daily, human rights activist Nur Khan said: "The Rohingyas who have taken refuge here have started realizing that they have no future here. As a result, they are trying to take shelter in third countries. They are going to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Since the sea is cold during the winter, they use the sea route for travel."
When asked what should be done, he said: "There is no opportunity to force them to return. The international community needs to be engaged to take the initiative to send them back to their own country."
He also mentioned that Bangladesh has not provided them with proper education, adding: "We might be accused of keeping an entire community crippled by denying them education."
When asked how the number of Rohingyas is decreasing, Shamsuddoza Nayan, additional commissioner for Refugee Relief and Repatriation, said: "The number is not decreasing. Initially, when they arrived, some were registered multiple times. If such a large population is to be maintained for years, registration must continue. Later, UNHCR took over the task of preparing the list."
Responding to allegations that Rohingyas have left the camps, he said: "Nothing like that has happened. Some Rohingyas did not enter the camps, particularly in Naikhongchhari and Cox's Bazar. There is no significant number of Rohingyas spreading outside."
