প্রকাশ: 25/08/2022
The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) calls on the international
community to take urgent action to ensure long-term development and sustainable
humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities.
August 25
marks five years since the first of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya men,
women, boys, and girls fled violence and persecution in Myanmar and sought
refuge in what is now the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar,
Bangladesh.
Nearly 1
million refugees remain in congested camps. More than half of them are
children. Although Bangladesh has generously hosted Rohingya refugees for the
last five years, one country cannot and should not bear this responsibility
alone.
International
and local humanitarian actors must continue to support the response led by the
Government of Bangladesh to enable the Rohingya to live a dignified life while
in displacement, according to an IOM media statement on Thursday.
The
Rohingya themselves have played a central role in the humanitarian response.
From volunteering to support fire and cyclone response to door-to-door outreach
to raising awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures, the community has led
efforts across the camps to support each other.
As the
crisis has become protracted, they should be further empowered through expanded
access to education, skills development and livelihoods.
With
limited access to earn a living, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain fully
reliant on humanitarian assistance.
Groups or
persons with specific needs, such as persons with disabilities, female-headed
households, or people without access to livelihood opportunities, reported the
most significant unmet needs, leaving them vulnerable to negative coping
strategies, such as human smuggling and trafficking.
Criminal
trafficking networks employ different tactics to lure refugees to work outside
the camp and abroad using false pretences, coercion and abduction. As the lead
agency on counter-trafficking in Cox’s Bazar, IOM has identified and assisted more
than 1,300 victims of trafficking.
With the
current monsoon season already causing historic flooding in northeastern
Bangladesh, heavy rainfall where the camps are located could pose further
hazards to the Rohingya in their temporary homes made from tarpaulin sheets and
bamboo.
In 2021,
heavy monsoon rains in the camps caused immense flooding incidents that
affected nearly 30,000 people; 19,000 were once again displaced and lost their
homes.
The
Government of Bangladesh along with IOM and humanitarian partners deliver
life-saving aid and basic services.
IOM
continues to provide shelter, protection, mental health and psychosocial
services, and water and hygiene support. IOM also implements disaster risk
reduction initiatives to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh,
the statement read.
প্রধান সম্পাদকঃ সৈয়দ বোরহান কবীর
ক্রিয়েটিভ মিডিয়া লিমিটেডের অঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠান
বার্তা এবং বাণিজ্যিক কার্যালয়ঃ ২/৩ , ব্লক - ডি , লালমাটিয়া , ঢাকা -১২০৭
নিবন্ধিত ঠিকানাঃ বাড়ি# ৪৩ (লেভেল-৫) , রোড#১৬ নতুন (পুরাতন ২৭) , ধানমন্ডি , ঢাকা- ১২০৯
ফোনঃ +৮৮-০২৯১২৩৬৭৭