* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The Rohingya in Myanmar need to be afforded the most basic of human rights: to a nationality and to a safe home
I have just returned from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where more than half a million Rohingya from Myanmar have fled over the past two months, bringing the total number to 800,000 and making Bangladesh home to the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis. The Rohingya refugees I met there desperately need life-saving assistance and protection, and to be able to safely return to their homes. But crucially, they also need recognition of their nationality and legal status, so they can live normal lives, free from fear and intimidation.
The solutions to this crisis lie in Myanmar, where it originated. The Government of Myanmar must end the violence that is being committed against the Rohingya Muslims, and urgently reinstate safe and secure conditions so they are not forced to flee. The Government must also set in place conditions for their voluntary, safe and dignified return of those who have already fled. The Rohingya in Myanmar need to be afforded the most basic of human rights: to a nationality and to a safe home; to non-discrimination and humane treatment; to freedom of movement; and to be able to work and access basic services. For several years, tens of thousands of Rohingya have been living in camps in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in dire conditions, their houses and livelihoods destroyed, and their freedom of movement severely restricted. Governments across the international community must use all their leverage and influence to support a lasting solution to this tragic and mounting crisis.
Behind the refugee numbers are people’s individual experiences of horror - and resilience. In Cox’s Bazar, I met an 11-year-old boy, who was cradling his severely malnourished 2-year-old sister at a UNICEF treatment centre. He and his four younger brothers and sister had walked for nine days to reach the centre. Their mother died on route, leaving him in sole charge of his siblings. I met women who told me of husbands, fathers and sons who had been killed in front of them. They spoke of having been raped while fleeing from homes that had been set on fire. These are just some of the atrocious stories of grief and despair that have marked the experiences of many Rohingya refugees over the last two months.
Every day people continue to arrive in Bangladesh, traumatised and destitute, many of them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They desperately need humanitarian assistance and psychological support. The speed and scale of the refugee influx have overwhelmed the Government of Bangladesh and humanitarian agencies. UN agencies and humanitarian partners have been working with the Government day and night to scale up our aid response – flying in emergency supplies, setting up camps, distribution sites and treatment centres. Over the past seven weeks, the UN, alongside international and national NGO partners, have reached 515,000 people with some kind of assistance, including food aid, nutrition support, water and sanitation, shelter and counselling services.
We are continuing to scale up, by building or expanding safe, accessible sites to accommodate new arrivals. But much more is urgently needed on all fronts. Conditions in makeshift camps and temporary settlements are still dire. Overcrowding and poor sanitation portend disease outbreaks, while the safety of new arrivals is tenuous – particularly for women and girls who make up the bulk of the refugee population.
If global trends hold true here, these displaced communities will remain so for some time to come. While we will advocate for the refugees’ safe, sustainable and voluntary return to Myanmar, we must also work to promote their well-being and resilience even if displacement becomes protracted. This means working with development partners, which have been engaging from the get-go to support the Government in extending over-stretched social services, including healthcare, education and water, to displaced and host communities. This also means developing a longer strategy to build the resilience of both refugees and host communities.
I wholeheartedly thank the Government and people of Bangladesh, who have welcomed the refugees and offered them safety and assistance. I commend the Government for keeping its borders open throughout this crisis. Local communities are showing tremendous generosity in welcoming new arrivals. Now we must do all in our power to support them so that they can continue to show the best of humanity by providing a haven to this most persecuted of people. The international community must come together to share the financial and moral responsibility of assisting the Rohingya in their time of need. The UN has issued an emergency appeal of $434 million to help 1.2 million refugees and their host communities. On 23 October, the United Nations will convene a pledging conference in Geneva to leverage full commitment to this appeal. I urge all who have not yet done so, to make a commitment now.
Mark Lowcock is the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
