@Richard Swarbrick/PRESENCE
@Richard Swarbrick/PRESENCE
“Since 2017, MSF has provided mental health consultations to over 140,000 Rohingya patients in Bangladesh,” Brockmann continues. “Lack of livelihoods, anxiety about the future, poor living conditions, barriers to access basic services such as formal education, and increasing insecurity in the camps have added to the traumatic memories of the violence they suffered in Myanmar. Since 2021, the number of people treated in our hospitals in Bangladesh who attempted suicide has doubled.”
Since mid-2022, violence in the camp has increased significantly. There has been an increase in armed clashes, killings and abductions and we witness the severe toll these incidents have on people’s lives. In 2023 MSF treated an increasing number of violence related injuries. “Abductions have become common over the past twelve months,” said Brockmann. “Many individuals, particularly children, are forcibly abducted by traffickers and their families extorted to either pay for their return to Bangladesh or to be moved to Malaysia.”
@Richard Swarbrick/PRESENCE
The Rohingya's plight is compounded by the denial of their citizenship in Myanmar, rendering them legally stateless. One of the many implications of statelessness is the inability to obtain identification documents and passports. This means Rohingya have no legal means to cross international borders. To make matters worse, there are no safe, legal pathways for them to seek asylum in the region. This leaves them with no other option but to take these risky journeys and rely on human trafficking networks that put them at higher risk of death, violence, extortion or sexual assault.
After being abducted from Bangladesh and held in Rakhine state, many Rohingya actually choose to return to Bangladesh, rather than make the onward journey to Malaysia. One 18-year-old who was forcibly abducted and held in Myanmar earlier this year described how he felt after his family paid a ransom to return him to Bangladesh:
Insecurity is but one of several factors creating pressure on the day-to-day life of Rohingya. In Bangladesh food rations have been cut to only US$8 per person per month and the UN Joint Response Plan is severely underfunded delivering only 46 percent of agreed funding so far in 2023.
Due to the poor economic and security situation in the Bangladesh camps, many families told MSF that they feel their only option is to marry their daughters to Rohingya men in Malaysia. For most, this means entrusting the safety of their daughters to human trafficking networks and the likelihood they will never see them again in person.
A 19-year-old who arrived in Malaysia in 2022 recalls: “Life in the refugee camp was very terrible and unimaginable. It was not safe at all especially for women. Lots of crime were going on and many people have been killed daily. I decided to leave the Bangladesh refugee camp to find a partner because I feel unsafe in the crowded camp,” she said.
Another, a 17-year-old who arrived in Malaysia in May 2022 says:
According to a 30-year-old Rohingya woman who arrived in Malaysia in October 2022, “the journey from Bangladesh to Malaysia is so difficult, some died on the boat, some got beaten by the human traffickers. While in Malaysia, there is the risk of getting arrested by the authorities because some of us have no UNHCR document.”
"The Rohingya have nowhere to go,” said Brockmann. “They are not safe or given fundamental rights anywhere in the region. It is crucial that Malaysia and the international community recognize the severity of the Rohingya refugee crisis and work towards mid-term solutions that respect their rights and dignity in the places they are now until they can eventually return to Myanmar. Rohingya deserve to live in safety, with access to essential services and opportunities. We are treating people for illnesses, but without a change in their living conditions and ongoing containment, there is no possible cure for their experiences."
