Ever since the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees in 2017, for eight years, we have shouldered one of the world’s gravest humanitarian burdens, opening our borders, our communities, our resources to those fleeing unspeakable violence in Myanmar.
To say that our response has been anything short of magnanimous would be doing a disservice. Despite our numerous development challenges, the Rohingya have been provided for.
Through all of it, the strain on the nation, especially on the local communities, has been palpable, and one that has not gotten any easier. Given the current economic challenges in the country, we have seen the local population facing rising unemployment and poverty, due to which anti-refugee sentiment has been growing. The camps themselves, which were once symbols of compassion, have increasingly become breeding grounds for tension and insecurity.
The Rohingya remain vulnerable to disease, hunger, and natural disasters, while the promise of safe, voluntary repatriation to Myanmar remains heartbreakingly distant.
Bangladesh cannot -- and should not -- be the nation upon which such a responsibility falls for this long. It has been terribly unfortunate that international attention has continued to drift elsewhere over the years, but enough is enough, and the world must step up. Wealthier nations, international organizations, and donors must provide sustained and increased financial support, not just words of solidarity.
On World Refugee Day this year, we remember that our country, Bangladesh, has done more than what could ever have been expected from a resource-scarce, densely-populated developing country.
Our generosity and grace have been admirable, and nobody can say otherwise. We can now expect the rest of the world to do their part, ensuring that refugees, wherever they are in the world, are not dismissed as an afterthought.
