Education, livelihoods and skills development are crucial now to develop the young Rohingya people so that when they voluntarily return to their country, they will have the suitable skill sets to contribute economically and socially, writes Hasina Rahman
THIS month,听the UN Refugee Agency, or the UNHCR, has published the 2024 flagship Global Trends Report, which has not brought any immediate hope to the world.
The report published on June 12 in Geneva found that forced displacement rose to 120 million in May 2024, marking the 12th consecutive annual increase 鈥� a result of ongoing crises and newly emerging and evolving conflicts. The figure would make the global displaced population equivalent to the 12th largest country in the world, around the size of Japan. One in every 69 people, or 1.5 per cent of the entire world鈥檚 population, are now forcibly displaced.
This is nearly double from the 1 in 125 people who were displaced a decade ago. The increase to 117.3 million at the end of 2023 constitutes a rise of 8 per cent, or 8.8 million, people compared with the end of 2022 and continues a series of year-on-year increases over the past 12 years.
When every day, more people are facing forced displacement globally, the world鈥檚 attention is rapidly shifting from one crisis to another. And unfortunately, globally the focus on the Rohingya crisis is fading from what it truly deserves.
It has been seven years since the massive influx happened in 2017 and the Rohingyas were forced to flee their homes and country, Myanmar, reaching Cox鈥檚 Bazar for safety and survival. 听Since then, they have been endured dire conditions in the camps. The entire population depends on relief and food aid. The young population are in a challenging situation, spending their time idly without quality life experiences. We cannot imagine how their lives are in the camps.
In the past couple of months, around one million Rohingyas have endured heat waves, two fire incidents and a cyclone. During the fires, many lost their shelters and had to stay under the open sky. During the heat wave, they lived in tarpaulin shelters. We cannot even fathom how living in a tarpaulin shelter in hot weather feels.
Besides these disasters, women and adolescent girls are experiencing very tough lives. More than 80 per cent of them face gender-based violence by their intimate partners. Child marriage is prevalent. They have limited access to justice and very often do not seek it. The safety and security situation in the camps is inadequate. Women and girls constantly live in fear.
A few days ago I met Ramicha, a young girl in the Rohingya camps who loves creating henna art. When neighbours ask her to apply henna she feels happy adorning the hands of hundred girls and women. She loves the appreciation for her art. Like Ramicha, more than 400,000 children are living in the Rohingya camps. Although there is not much to do, children have found many ways to continue to laugh and live.
The Rohingya camps are examples of how, despite significant efforts from the Bangladesh government and international community, it is still far from sufficient to meet the basic needs of the displaced people. The global scenario is not any better than this.
In this situation, the world will celebrated World Refugee Day on June 20, 2024. This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥楽olidarity with Refugees鈥�, calls for actionable support beyond mere words. Solidarity means keeping our doors open, celebrating their strengths and achievements, and reflecting on the challenges they face.
We urge the global community to truly demonstrate solidarity with the Rohingya community, who are displaced from Myanmar and facing everyday challenges in camps in Bangladesh.
International stakeholders, the philanthropic community and privates sectors should increase financial aid to these people so that more sustainable and impactful support can be provided.
While food, health care, safety and fundamental rights must be provided, we must prepare them for the next phase of their lives. Education, livelihoods and skills development are crucial now to develop the young Rohingya people so that when they voluntarily return to their country, they will have the suitable skill sets to contribute economically and socially.
Recently, the conflict inside Myanmar has reached a new height. These conflicts are bringing countless human tragedies and must not continue longer. The global community should put more efforts into ending this conflict and bringing peace to Myanmar so all the displaced people can return to their homes and live safe and dignified lives.
By taking these tangible steps, the global community can move beyond rhetoric to enact meaningful change, embodying true solidarity with refugees and honouring their resilience and contributions.
听
Hasina Rahman is country director of the International Rescue Committee.