Sexual harassment remains the most pressing concern for Rohingya women and adolescents living in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, according to a study.
Cox’s Bazar is home to around a million largely Muslim Rohingya minority, fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
ActionAid – one of the largest non-profits operating in the camps since the influx in 2017 – conducted 66 in-depth interviews, revealing dire challenges faced by women and adolescents.
“Sexual harassment is the biggest concern,” said Tamazer Ahmed, policy, research and advocacy manager at ActionAid.
“Early marriage and polygamy have become normalised, and 93% of interviewees remained outside the scope of legal assistance.”
Participants said the violence was meted out not only by men known to their families but also members of the Armed Police Battalion – a security force deployed by the Bangladesh government.
Ahmed said women in the camps described a shift in the nature of threats over the years, from lack of basic amenities in the early days to more systemic abuses now.
“Now, Rohingya women and adolescents often fall victim to molestation, rape, trafficking, poverty, educational exclusion and even death,” Ahmed said.
Girls aged six to 15 were particularly vulnerable, with most incidents occurring near latrines and bathing points. They were also vulnerable at distribution centres, hospitals, madrassas and schools, border zones and relatives’ homes. — AFP
