ROHINGYA: STATELESS AND WITHOUT RIGHTS

 

The Sunni Muslim ethnic group is one of the most persecuted minorities in the world

Over 640,000 Rohingya live in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. The camp near Cox"s Bazar is said to be the largest in the world. © SH Saw Myint / Unsplash

 

Discrimination, violence, murder - the Rohingya have been expelled and despised for decades. If tolerated at all, the members of the Sunni Muslim ethnic group often live a dreary life. Without nationality and without rights, they cannot find a way out of poverty. Rohingya have been systematically persecuted since 1948, when Myanmar gained independence from British colonialism. The Burmese government also declared statelessness in 1982. Identifying as Rohingya was forbidden. From that point on, Rohingya were considered invaders in their homeland.

 

Myanmar labels the relatives as immigrants, since their actual homeland is Bangladesh. The neighboring state, in turn, refers to the families who have lived in Myanmar for generations and therefore does not see them as citizens. A touchy and highly sensitive political issue between the two nations. The Rohingya minority lives mainly in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar on the border with Bangladesh. They speak their own language and follow their own cultural customs. Overall, according to estimates, between 750,000 and two million people are Rohingya.

Their origin is largely unclear, which results in discrimination and exclusion by the population. Due to the differences, the country's government does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens to this day.
- Malteser International

In the otherwise predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, Rohingya define themselves as Muslims. "Especially because of their faith and their unclear origins, they are repeatedly affected by discrimination, exclusion and persecution by the government and the military of Myanmar," Malteser International notes. They do not receive birth certificates and remain legally and administratively invisible. This massively restricts their freedom of movement and their future opportunities. Entire villages can be arbitrarily destroyed, private belongings can be confiscated by the military. Because officially they don't own anything, settlements where they live are illegal, their presence in Myanmar is not wanted.

 

No country grants them citizenship, no nation wants to integrate them. They are tolerated in some neighboring countries, but nothing more. In 2013, the UN named the Rohingya people one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

The people in the refugee camps are desperate. They cannot survive without outside help. © Saikat Mojumder/MSF

VIOLENCE AND DESPAIR

Since Myanmar's declaration of independence, there have been repeated violent clashes between the military and the Rohingya - the worst riots took place in 1978, 1992, 2012 and 2016. Thousands of people were displaced and killed. During the last escalation in August 2017, hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes. The violent military offensive caused huge streams of refugees within a very short time. "More than 700,000 Rohingya - women, men and children - have had to flee Myanmar to Bangladesh," UNHCR said. The stories of the refugees can hardly be processed. Rapes, mass killings and widespread destruction are repeatedly described by victims. Families were torn apart, children and adults severely traumatized. "   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driven from their homeland, the Rohingya have received protection in the neighboring country. But Bangladesh, the most densely populated country in the world, is already struggling with poverty within its own population. The nation cannot cope with taking in and, above all, caring for and accommodating the Rohingya. Although the families who have fled have found temporary accommodation, there can hardly be any talk of a dignified life. The refugees are housed in camps near Cox's Bazar. One of them Kutupalong. As the largest refugee camp in the world, it is home to over 640,000 people.

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 Bangladesh, 2017: Rohingya people cross the border from Myanmar.Photograph: Roger Arnold/UNHCR

In August 2017, Violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state forced Rohingya to flee their homes.

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The living conditions in the camps are bad. Simple huts made of thin wood, tarpaulins and cardboard serve as living space. There are hardly any sanitary facilities or toilets. Running water is in short supply, as is medical care. Food, clothing and educational opportunities are not really available. The people in the refugee camps are exposed to the extreme weather in the region, and the temporary shelters do not offer any protection from heavy rain. The camps are overcrowded, disease spreads easily. For years, the Rohingya who have settled in Bangladesh have been dependent on the help of foreign organizations. But with the large number of humanitarian emergencies, the media spotlight has long since ceased to focus on the minority and their situation.

 

BACK TO MYANMAR

 

A return to Myanmar is currently out of the question. The situation after the military takeover last year was too uncertain. The situation for Rohingya still living in the country has even worsened. Many of the refugees long for their homes. They want to go back to their homeland and live in peace. But this would only work if they could be guaranteed citizenship, including rights, on the one hand, and security on the other. A basis that unfortunately will not be implemented any time soon.