In the first year of the “Digital Spaces for Dialogue” initiative, ASK illuminated paths of hope in the Rohingya camps and host communities of Ukhiya, Teknaf and Camps 3 & 4. Through a comprehensive Needs Assessment with 184 participants- including youth, women, marginalised groups and local leaders- ASK identified barriers to digital access, social exclusion and mobility restrictions, forming the foundation for inclusive dialogue and strategic program design. ASK’s participation in a regional Training of Trainers (ToT) strengthened capacities in digital storytelling, youth-led facilitation and conflict-sensitive communication. Monitoring of social media and community trends highlighted both risks- funding cuts, service closures and climate vulnerabilities- and opportunities for youth education, leadership and emerging repatriation frameworks.

Rohingya Refugees Crisis

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Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is observing various dimensions of this barbaric attack against Rohingya community in Myanmar from the beginning. ASK is deeply concerned that, a large number of refugee have taken shelter wherever they could outside the refugee camps due to scarcity of space. These refugee are mainly women, children and elderly person who are living a miserable life under the open sky. Already most of them have fallen sick, and a part of the refugee children are affected to polio, measles, diarrhea, pneumonia and other fatal diseases. It is frightening that these diseases may spread in the district. Moreover, overall health care services for the refugee are not adequate. Furthermore, enough psychosocial counseling initiatives have not been taken especially for the tortured women and children. Most of the refugee women are pregnant who are deprived of proper diet and health care. A number of women have given birth on their way to Bangladesh, who are shelter less, accompanied with infants and kids and facing different post pregnancy difficulties. Although infants and kids constitute a larger portion of Rohingya Refugee, yet there is no arrangement for baby food. On the other hand, both public and private arrangement of pure drinking water and sanitation are not adequate enough to fulfill the demand. As a result the whole health and environmental condition is degrading. Besides, scattered stance of Refugee in Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban may leave negative impact on both socio-economic and psychological condition of the local community.

It appears from the ASK’s observation that the refugee are scattered, as a result of that the management procedure has become more complicated and thus resulting disorder in the relief distribution. A number of refugee have started to spread out throughout the country beyond Ukhiya-Teknaf. Since they cannot be identified separately from their appearance, it is difficult for the duty officers of LEAs to identify them. To solve this complexities biometric registration of Rohingya refugee have been started, which is worthy and important. According to the duty officers of BGB, the data collection of only 3000 Rohingya refugee for bio-metric registration was done by 16 September. According to ASK, the non-involvement of UNHCR in bio-metric data collection of Rohingyas may create further complexities for them while returning to their own country. Moreover, most of them are children, but the Rohingya children are not being brought under the biometric registration process. ASK expressed its concern that the parents of most of the refugee children are either killed in recent massacre in Myanmar or lost they fled to Bangladesh with folks or with kith and kin’s. Therefore if they are not brought under due registration process their safety and security might turn up as major concern particularly, women and children living outside the refugee camps are in most vulnerable position. On the other side, the part of Rohingya community in “no man’s land” are also living their day under deep concern. They are also facing lack of adequate food and basic needs. International organizations should come forward in this matter.

According to ASK’s overall assessment, though the Government has taken humanitarian stand and expressed willingness about assisting the refugee but there are still some gaps in the coordination of these initiatives. We hope that the Government with the assistance of national and international organizations will overcome these challenges very soon.

Based on ASK’s observation, ASK places the following recommendations to Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and international community on the ongoing humanitarian crisis –

At National Level:

1. Ensure adequate booths and human resources for doing bio-metric registration of Rohingya refugee and involve UNHCR in this process immediately;
2. Include children’s photo and other vital information with their parents or guardian in the registration process;
3. Establish adequate number of refugee camps and provide shelter to the fleeing Rohingyas in a systematic way;
4. Ensure proper and adequate humanitarian assistance i.e. food, medical facilities, counseling and sanitation in refugee camps;
5. Create an inter-governmental coordination team including representatives of UNHCR to manage and monitor the services for Rohingyas;
6. Ensure security of the Rohingya women and girls both in the shelter and outside the shelter;

At International Level:

1. Enter into a multi-lateral dialogue on this issue to ensure immediate cessation of  the ongoing violence against Rohingys;
2. Take proper initiatives to protect and promote  human rights of Rohingya community in Myanmar and implementing the recommendations of “Kofi Annan Commission”;
3. Stop ongoing persecution against Rohingyas and take  back all the Rohingya refugee to  their own country with the due recognition of the status of Myanmar citizenship;
4. Take initiatives to reunite the displaced family members who have been detained and held captive in military, non-military, jail and detention centres through proper investigation by United Nations; and
5. Create pressure to Government of Myanmar to provide access for an independent investigation by human rights activists and media personalities

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CBHRTG demands interference of Global community for Citizenship Rights of Rohingya people in Myanmar

Community Based Human Rights Theater Group (CBHRTG) of Naogaon held Human Chain in the town of Naogaon on 9th September and 14th September 2017. Mr. Uttam Sarkar, President of Naogaon CBHRTG, Mr. Ataul Haq Siddiki, Advisor of the organization led the event where the members of local cultural organizations and common people as well as Engineer Gurudas Dutt, Abdul Hi Siddiki Shithu, Advocate Mohsin Reza, M M Rasel, Jahedur Rahman Babu, Murtuza Bashir, Shamsul Alam, Rabeya Khatun Bely, Umme Salma Begum, T A Salil Majumdar, Atikur Rahman, Mizanur Rahman and numerous students joined the event. The Human Chain took place along the main street of the town.  The participants protested the inhuman torture to Rohingya people. They emphasized on urgent measures of global community to ensure Rohingya people’s right of citizenship in their homeland Myanmar.

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Human Chain in Gaibandha in Protest of Genocide, Rape, Torture, Arson and Looting against Rohingya People

Community Based Human Rights Theatre Group (CBHRTG) and Community Based Human Rights Protection Group (CBHRPG), the organizations groomed by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), jointly organized a Human Chain at DB Road of Gaibandha in protest of ongoing genocide, rape, torture, arson and looting against Rohingya people in Rakhain State of Myanmar.

Abu Jafar Sabu, General Secretary of Gaibandha Press Club, Shah Shariful Islam Bablu, District Secretary of JASAD, Adv. Sirajul Islam Babu, Joint General secretary, Lasen Khan Rintu, District Secretary of JSD, Wajiur Rahman Rafel, District President of Environment Movement, Prabir Chakraborty, Anjali Rani Debi of Public Inititative, Kazi Abdul Khalek, President and Shahjahan Ali, General Secretary of Human Rights Protection Council , Journalist Hedayetul Islam Babu, Adv. Mohammad Ali, Cultural activist Abdur Rouf, Md. Alamgir, President of District Human Rights Drama Council along with others have spoken in the event.
Speakers strongly protested the cruel persecution of Rohingyas from Myanmar following genocide, rape, torture, arson and looting backed by Myanmar government.

According to the speakers, Myanmar government has proved themselves as violator of human rights through this atrocity ignoring the condemnation of whole world and also demanded the safe-return of Rohingyas who has taken asylum in Bangladesh to save their lives. They have expected effective role of Bangladesh government on this issue and interference of UN (United Nations) to stop this genocide and persecution. International communities must come forward to ensure the safe returns and inhabitation of Rohingyas in their motherland. Speakers also condemned the role of Burmese Army; and thanked the Government of Bangladesh for taking humanistic approach by providing shelter to Rohingya refugees.

• To share forum’s experiences from the ground with the diplomatic communities based in Bangladesh
• To draw attention of the diplomats to the ground level inhuman sufferings of the Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh as well as the Rohingya community in Myanmar
• To place forum’s position with specific recommendations on the issue

HRFB appreciated the role played by diplomats from the very beginning of the crisis and expects by hearing us the community will further make visible to the international level the sufferings of refugees as well as inadequate capacity of national government alone to redress the humongous crisis highlighting the real scenario of the crisis. HRFB also expected that the diplomats will consider the recommendations placed by the Forum and work to ensure adequate humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya Refugees, create pressure on the Myanmar Government to stop violence against Rohingya Community and overall to create an enabling environment where Rohingya Refugees feel safe and secure to return their country.

Background
The Rohingya, from the state of Rakhine of Myanmar which shares the border with Bangladesh, have long been subjected to continuous persecution and extreme violence. The recent massacre has been described as a “text book example of ethnic cleansing” by the UN and as ‘genocide’ by the Rome-based Permanent People’s Court.  The ruthless and systematic killings and torture of unarmed innocent civilians in the name of “clearance operation” were so designed and executed by the Myanmar military that they were forced to flee for life and shelter to the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh in tens of thousands, overwhelming majority of the women and children. Although the Myanmar authority has been denying these, impeccably credible evidences available from absolutely independent sources show that the atrocities bear the hall-mark of deliberate and pre-planned crime against humanity. The recent crack-down has been absolutely disproportionate response to the alleged attack on police stations by the militant forces as the army and militias have been using deadly weapons, firing from the helicopters and using land mines in the bordering areas and all other violent means including arsons to commit murder, rape and burning down Rohingya homes. They spare no men, women, the elderly and children from their brutal wraths. The recent vicious crackdown by the security force and local Buddhist people, have contributed to a new influx of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh since 25 August and over 420,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed over to Bangladesh.

The Rohingya are recognized as the most oppressed-stateless people of the world. The 1982 Citizenship Law, which excluded Rohingya from the list of national races, and stripped them of their citizenship, exacerbated discrimination. The Myanmar government refers to Rohingya as ‘Bengali’, indicating that they are illegal immigrants. This population is subjected to restrictions on their freedom of movement, limiting their access to livelihoods, healthcare, food, education and other basic services.  Rohingya are allowed to have a maximum of two children, but birth certificates are not issued to Rohingya children (HRW, 2016). Rohingya are restricted in their movement, with limited ability to leave their living areas. The recent Rohingya influx in Bangladesh was the culmination of brutal attack by the security forces.

This is not the first time Bangladesh has seen a massive wave of refugee arrivals from Myanmar. Being a neighbouring country, and given the porous border, Bangladesh remains as the first choice for the Rohingya people.  The first large influx to Bangladesh came in 1978, and then in the early 1990s, when a quarter of a million fled from Myanmar. They have come more frequently in recent years—but the flow of the last few weeks has been unceasing, and possibly one of the largest influx in the short period of three weeks, which has since continued unabated.

After initial hesitation, the Government made a clear commitment to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to these distressed Rohingya people, while for absolutely valid reasons the Government is also determined that they must be sent back to their homes and land in Myanmar. Bangladesh has already been overwhelmed by the Rohingya refugees and new influx put tremendous pressure on local resources and capacity in terms of providing access to water, food, sanitation, health, shelter and housing. The government has been providing food, medical facilities and accommodation of refugees with the support of various local and foreign agencies prior to the current influx, and is trying to distribute such services among new refugees since August. However given the current mass Rohingya exodus in Bangladesh, such effort has a very limited impact to improve the condition of Rohingya people in Bangladesh with every possibility of them being deprived of basic human rights.

Dreadful Situation: Inhuman Sufferings

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the Secretariat of the HRFB, was working through Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) from August 25th and deployed staff for fact findings. During September 15-17, 2017 they visited the Kutupalang, Balukhali, Thangkhali (refugee camps) and Tomdru (no man’s land) and shelter of Rohingya refugees. Other members of HRFB like Manusher Jonno Foundation also visited while other have undertaken initiatives consistent with their mandate and scope of work.  According to preliminary observations, in addition to the camps already set up, a large number of refugees have taken shelter wherever they could outside the refugee camps due to scarcity of space. Mainly of these refugees are women, children and elderly persons who are living a miserable life under the open sky. The vulnerabilities of the Rohingya refugees are multi-dimensional.  Critical areas are as follows:

1. Although government along with other agencies and individuals are providing food, due to the huge number it remains inadequate. As the refugees have limited access to food, they suffer from malnutrition. Particularly women and children and women in pregnancy and postpartum are the most vulnerable suffering malnutrition. It is reported that sixty percent of all refugees are children. The inadequate baby food, especially milk. The powdered milk provided by few are also of not much use due to the shortage of clean water and the necessary feeding utensils.   Many children who lost parents and/or are abandoned and missing need immediate protection, shelter, care, food, health and psychosocial counseling.
2. Rohingyas are taking shelter under the makeshift tents comprised of bamboo and plastic sheet which remain ineffective in rains and will remain so as the winter approaches. Small hills and hilly areas are being used to build makeshift tents which are already causing high risk of landslides and various forms of environmental degradation.
3. Fact finding teams also observed that already many Rohingyas have fallen sick, and a part of the refugee children are affected to polio, measles, diarrhea, pneumonia and other fatal diseases. Serious concerns are being raised that these diseases may spread among local residents in adjoining areas in the district. Moreover, the overall health care facility for the refugees is far from adequate. Only one small health care centers were found to be working to distribute Paracetamol and Filmet tablets and oral saline. Psychosocial counseling initiatives are nearly absent especially for the tortured women and children. Most of the refugee women are pregnant who are deprived of proper diet and health care. A number of women have given birth on their way of coming to Bangladesh, who are living under open sky with infants and facing different post-pregnancy difficulties. It was estimated that among the new arrivals over 18,000 Rohingya women are pregnant (bdnews24.com, 2017). They will face precarious health hazards in the coming days.   According to UNICEF, more than 200,000 children in Cox’s Bazar’s Rohingya camps are at great risk.
4. Rohingyas have little access to water and sanitation facilities. ASK has seen only very few water tanks to supply water for this huge population. It is feared that soon several water borne diseases may breakout. Children are at higher risk.
5. There is hardly any coordination to distribute food and other services. Individuals, groups, agencies etc. throwing away relief goods in roads that are causing injuries, huge traffic congestions and conflict among the Rohingyas. A section of the local people and previously settled Rohingyas are alleged collecting more reliefs at the expense of the new refugees. Uncooridnated access of large number people and vehicles are making relief operation chaotic and ineffective.
6. Women and children are greatly vulnerable to trafficking. Middlemen and touts are allegedly active to taking advantage of the situation.
7. Excessive price of food, rice and other daily necessities and shrinking job market for local people can be catalysts of conflict between local people and refugees if preventive measures are not taken immediately.
8. A sizable number of refugees have been reportedly spread out throughout the country beyond Ukhiya-Teknaf. As they cannot be identified separately from their appearance so it’s becoming difficult for the duty officers of Law Enforcement Agencies to identify them. Some are helped by previously entered Rohingyas and some made connections through relatives living in Middle Eastern countries. This have two consequences – the repatriation of these people in their own country would be difficult as well as it may lead to negative impact on socio-economic, health and psychological condition of the local community especially in Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban.
9. To solve this complexities biometric registration of Rohingya refugees have been started, which is time worthy and important. The registration process is extremely slow but there is little potential to expand the centers. Most importantly, it is not known whether Myanmar Government will accept the registration card in time of repariation. According to the duty officers of BGB, by 16 September the data collection of only 3000 Rohingya refugees for bio-metric registration were done.  The absence of involvement of UNHCR in bio-metric data collection process of Rohingya’s may create further complexities for them while returning to their own country. On the other hand, children constitute a remarkable number amongst Rohingya refugees but there has not been any initiative to bring them under registration process till September 17.  Most of these children are detached from their families who do not know the whereabouts of their parents or they are already dead. These children fled to Bangladesh separately or with kith and kins. ASK apprehends, these children will face great insecurities and may be victim of trafficking if they are not registered individually.
10. The women and children who are living outside the refugee camps are in most vulnerable position. On the other side, the part of Rohingya community living in “no man’s land” is also passing their days with deep concern. They are living a miserable life on open muddy field without enough food and any scope of meeting basic needs.

Recommendations:

Although Bangladesh has been giving shelter and other possible support to the Rohingya refugees over the last few decades, Bangladesh has a very limited resource to deal with such huge influx of refugees. The country is already over populated and facing many socio-economic challenges. Nevertheless, Bangladesh is trying to improve the situation day by day.

In this context, HRFB takes this opportunity to place some recommendations for consideration of Development Partners to overcome the ongoing crisis.

At National Level

Initiate dialogue collectively as well as individually and provide maximum possible support to GOB to:

1. Recognize Rohingyas as refugees and accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol without any further delay;
2.  Ensure adequate booths and human resources for doing bio-metric registration of Rohingya refugees and involve UNHCR in this process immediately;
3. Include children’s photo and other vital information with their parents or guardian in the registration process;
4. Establish adequate number of refugee camps and provide shelter to the fleeing Rohingyas in a systematic way;
5. Ensure proper and adequate humanitarian assistance i.e. food, medical facilities and sanitation in refugee camps;
6. Create an inter-governmental coordination team including representatives of UNHCR to manage and monitor the services for Rohingyas;
7. Ensure security of the Rohingya women and girls both in the shelter and outside the shelter;
8. Extend 24 hour  drop in centres for children’s safety and mental health support, especially for the orphans and missing children; and
9. Deploy large number of women and men volunteers (including local people) to support management authority.

At International Level

Collectively and individually create pressures including target sanctions on the Myanmar Government to:

1. Enter into a multi-lateral dialogue on this issue to ensure immediate cessation of the ongoing violence against Rohingys;
2. Take proper initiatives to protect and promote human rights of Rohingya community in Myanmar and implementing the recommendations of “Kofi Annan Commission”;
3. Stop ongoing persecution against Rohingyas and take back all the Rohingya refugees to  their own country with the due recognition of the status of Myanmar citizenship;
4. Impose specific economic and military sanctions including freezing of trade, and investment relations as well as weapons supply and military training arrangements with Myanmar through UN and other multilateral and regional forums until such time as  they don’t stop violence against Rohingya communities;
5. Work with regional powers like India and China to exercise their multi-dimensional leverage in persuading the Myanmar Government to stop the persecution and ensure respect of human rights of their own citizens as well as repatriation of all those Rohingyas who have been forced to take shelter in Bangladesh;
6. Take initiatives to reunite the displaced family members who have been detained and held captive in military, non-military, jail and detention centres through proper investigation by United Nations; and
7. Create pressure to Government of Myanmar to provide access for an independent investigation by human rights activists and media personalities.

On 6 September, 2017, Human Rights Defender Forum (HRDF) in association with Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), organized a human chain in Cox’s Bazar protesting the ongoing violence against Rohingya community in Myanmar. The members of HRDF Cox’s Bazar were present there. The participants said that from the news published in national and international media, it is evident that Myanmar is conducting systematic ethnic cleansing of Rohingya community which is a crime against humanity. Over last two months, Rohingyas are fleeing from Rakhine state of Mayanmar to escape the fresh attack by Myanmar army. Thousands of people have entered into Bangladesh and several thousand were also reportedly located along the Myanmar side of the border. They are mostly women, children, or the elderly, and there have been reports of wounded people among them.

HRDF demanded to the world community to come forward to pressurize the Government of Myanmar to stop the genocide against Rohingya community and implement the recommendations given by Kofi Annan Commission. The Forum also urged to the Government of Bangladesh to take humanitarian approach and to provide refuge and food to the persecuted people who took shelter in the border of Bangladesh.