Life for Rohingya women, the real and hidden crisis

It is now 18 months since the plight of the Rohingya hit the headlines, when the mass exodus of people from Myanmar peaked following an escalation in violence.

Since August 2017, more than 706,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled for safety across the border into Bangladesh. Many had seen family members killed, have been shot, suffered burns or are survivors of sexual violence.

The majority of people arrived in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar with nothing, and the trauma of their experiences has had a huge impact on their mental health.

This International Women’s Day some of the UK’s leading international charities, working in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, are putting a spotlight on the situation faced by Rohingya women and girls.

The real and hidden crisis, during and in the aftermath of any conflict, displacement or natural disaster, is that women and girls are disproportionately exposed to sexual violence, increased loss of livelihoods and even their lives. After fleeing violence and discrimination in Myanmar these women and girls are now struggling to cope with the loss and trauma they have experienced, to stay safe in the camps and for basic survival.

Life for Rohingya women: the real and hidden crisis

1/17 Sultana Begum, 30, saw her husband die in front of her. She was also shot : British Red Cross
2/17 Arofa, six years old, one of Zaheda’s younger daughters, and her best friend Rashida* share a moment in the refugee camp. Arofa lives with her eight siblings, mother, father and grandmother Nur Begum, in a three-roomed shelter made of tarpaulin and bamboo Oxfam

3/17Ummee Salma*, 16: ‘Me and my older brother came here four months ago. My parents are either killed or lost. When violence broke out we were separated. I heard them screaming our names but we couldn’t find each other. That was the last time I saw them. If my parents were alive they would have come and found us in Bangladesh’ Care

4/17Almost 1 million people, mainly women and children, are now living in the sprawling refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, making it now the largest refugee camp in the world Oxfam

5/17‘If the people of Save the Children hadn’t helped me when I was unconscious I would have died,’ says Rohana. Rohana Begum was alone in her shelter made of wood and plastic sheeting when she went into labour with Khotija, now two and a half months. After delivering the baby on her own Rohana began to lose a lot of blood. She lay unconscious and haemorrhaging until her mother-in law returned a few hours later. Save the Children estimates that 48,000 babies were born in the camps around Cox’s Bazar in 2018 Save the Children

6/17 Women in the camps face many issues; in addition to the extreme sexual and physical violence they experienced as they fled, they are still vulnerable in the camps. Many are alone, or just with their children, and overcrowding and limited privacy means that they are at further risk of violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, human trafficking and exploitation :Plan International

7/17Zaheda* with her daughter Arofa. It took and her family 18 days to walk from her village to the border with Myanmar. ‘We went across the mountains and it was a rough journey because I was three months pregnant. In the refugee camp when it was time for the baby to be born I went into labour. I tried to give birth in my shelter but I could not. My son died soon after he was born. The doctors said it was the stress of the journey.’ Zaheda worries about the safety of her daughters Gulsar, 20, and Abeda*, 18, as there are reports of trafficking in the camps, so she accompanies them everywhere, even to the toilet Oxfam

8/17 Sajeda Begum, 35 (left), is married with five children. She has become firm friends with Sobika since meeting her at the ActionAid women-friendly space here they have been encouraged to talk ActionAid

9/17A girl sells vegetables in Kutupalong refugee camp. There are currently 6,000 unaccompanied children living in Cox’s Bazar, where they face crippling food shortages and are at risk of exploitation and abuse. Whilst looking for work women and girls are falling victim to exploitation and are being trafficked into the sex trade : Christian Aid

10/17Isamatara, 15, takes part in a session run by Plan International in Balukhali camp, Cox’s Bazar, for teenage girls to talk about what it’s like to have their periods in a place like this. Girls are usually married within two to three years after they start menstruating, between the ages of 12 to 16 : Plan International

11/17 Rojia, 25, with her youngest son Sultan, two. Rojia’s husband went missing in Myanmar. She thinks he was picked up by the military. He went out for a walk after lunch and never returned. Single mothers whose husbands are missing or dead head up one in six families in the Rohingya camps. They face particular problems, having to take on public roles that challenge cultural and religious assumptions about women’s place in society. Oxfam has collaborated with women refugees to design improved toilets and washrooms that afford more privacy, and is calling for more to be done to support these vulnerable women such as help collecting aid packages and more community dialogue about men and women’s traditional roles Oxfam

12/17 Fatima’s* husband was killed in the attacks and shortly after their house was burnt. Since Fatima is head of the household, she has to do most of the work. From one of the nearby water pumps in the camp she usually fetches water in the evenings. Care provides her with safe drinking water and washing facilities, critical for the 22,000 people in her camp. ‘No aid in the world can give me back my husband’ Care

13/17 ‘Look at my feet. I had lost my toe nails as we were climbing. It was so hard to climb over the mountains and we had to carry our old mother because she can’t walk,’ says Fatima* Care

14/17 Dr Fatema Akter, 42, one of ActionAid’s team in Cox’s Bazar, says that when the crisis started she saw 80 people a day. ‘At the beginning, most of the women came with reproductive problems because they had to walk a long time when they were crossing the border. Sometimes they were a few weeks pregnant, but when walking on this journey they were bleeding and it turned out they miscarried. There are also many rape cases. I try to understand my patients when I see them. A common problem is women being beaten by their husbands in the camp. And another problem is women being left by their husbands. To focus myself and try to hold back my tears, sometimes I try to remember my favourite films, or think about fun moments with my friends’ ActionAid

15/17 Dildar Begum, 25, lost her husband as she fled to save herself and her children’s lives. After reaching Jamtoli camp she was reunited with her husband and they started living happily together. But soon he started abusing her physically and emotionally. She then discovered he had a new wife, occasionally he returned to torture her further, but now he doesn’t come at all. She is pregnant again, a single mother of six children, and delivered her last baby all alone in the camp. ‘It’s very difficult to explain the struggle I’ve faced in Myanmar and throughout my journey towards Bangladesh. I was five months pregnant and alone with my five children.’ Dildar now attends a Women and Child Friendly Space run by Gana Unnayan Kendra, a partner organisation of Christian Aid. Here women come together, share their stories, sew clothes to sell and wear, and get psychosocial support Christian Aid

16/17‘When I lost my two children, I wanted to climb into the hole with them and lay there. Though I’m sad, it’s very important to tell our terrible story to the whole world. One of my children was killed crossing the border, she was 11. My other child was only seven. When we crossed it was very cold and raining, we didn’t have enough food so my child got sick and was taken by disease.’ Rahima lost her husband and two other children before she fled Myanmar. Despite her unimaginable loss, she remains determined to help others now she is here. Rahima is just one of thousands of people that the Red Cross has trained in hygiene promotion British Red Cross

17/17 Minara, 20, in Hakimpara camp with her newborn baby. Shomima was seven days old when the photo was taken. ‘One day, if it’s safe, of course we want to go home. I miss my home, my family. I miss my cows and my normal life. But at least this is safer,’ she says. In October 2018, a proposed repatriation deal was made between the Bangladesh and Myanmar governments. The deal was made against the wishes of many Rohingya, some of whom spoke of being ‘terrified’ at being sent back. As a result of mounting concern amongst NGOs, human rights groups and the UNHCR, repatriation did not take place at this time. For now the Rohingya remain in limbo just across the border from Myanmar, and for women and girls in the camps of Cox’s Bazar life remains precarious British Red Cross

Reports of violence in the camps are common; from August 2017 to August 2018 over 10,000 incidents of gender-based violence were reported.

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Every day, around the world, 507 women and adolescent girls die from pregnancy and childbirth complications in emergency settings. Maternal and infant health in the camps around Cox’s Bazar is an ongoing concern.

The Disasters Emergency Committee and its member charities, which together raised £30m for the crisis, are supporting women and girls in the camps by providing safe spaces for trauma counselling and providing clean water, hygiene and healthcare.

For more information and details on how you can support these women and girls this International Women’s Day visit dec.org.uk.

*Names have been changed to protect identity

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Habib Siddiqui