15 May 2020, NIICE Commentary 4667
Sanchita Chatterjee
As the world is battling against the spread of the COVID-19, the global mechanism is evolving to adjust to the ‘new normal’. In addition to social distancing measures, the governments of different countries are developing measures to deal with the unprecedented situation in terms of economics, politics and even societal complications. Among the most affected groups, the refugees and asylum seekers have come to face difficult situations.
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), South Asia is home to one of the world’s highest refugee populations, with three million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees in Pakistan and more than one million Bangladeshi Rohingya refugees. Various international organizations on migration and UNHCR have temporarily suspended the resettlement of refugees from 10 March 2020, affecting about 70 million displaced persons and 131 refugee host countries. This has contributed to cases of refoulement of asylum seekers to their country of origin. This further puts them in danger of persecution and even endangers their lives. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are trying to survive through inhuman conditions. This article therefore aims to discusses their dismal state and suggests that states must adhere to well-planned actions to help these unsheltered people.
Situation of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 855,000 Rohingya refugees were staying in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which is home to the world’s largest refugee camp on only 26 square kilometres of land with limited access to basic living facilities. According to the Humanitarian Response Plan, Myanmar (2019), approximately 126,000 Rohingyas have been confined to open-air detention camps in Myanmar’s Rakhine state since 2012 communal unrest. They rely on communal deliveries for drinking water, food, and fuel, which mean they have to wait for hours to obtain these in large groups. Following the current health crisis, health experts suggest social and physical distancing in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as an important way to avoid the cosmic spread. In the overcrowded camps with dismal hygienic conditions and restricted access to healthcare facilities, it is difficult for the Rohingyas to practice social remoteness where tents across the Kutupalong settlement are squeezed tightly together.
In a statement on 19 March 2020, the United Nations Human Rights office announced a few guidelines and called on governments to “refrain from restricting internet access” during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this was for the ‘normal’ parts of the world. The Rohingya refugee camps have been under internet blackout since the Bangladesh authorities banned internet access in September last year, citing security concerns following violence in the region. Human Rights Watch (HRW), based in New York on 26 March, urged the authorities in Bangladesh to “lift the internet ban immediately” to enable transformation of information regarding the virus and its prevention, as well as help the recurring staff tackle the threat posed by COVID-19.
To access basic services, refugees must walk through the camps. The camps have few medical facilities, and there are no local emergency services. Basic facilities such as a soap bar, hand-washing liquids are becoming life and death products for the people living in the refugee camps. Consequently, to reduce the possible spread of COVID-19 from the refugee camps, governments around the world are taking strict steps by bringing all the refugee camps under full lockdown. In Bangladesh, the government’s decision to impose full lockdown at ‘Cox Bazar’ refugee camp seems to have adversely affected the refugees. The movement of ‘aid workers’ who worked in those camps was limited. This has resulted in the spread of a lot of misinformation about COVID-19 among the refugees living in the camp and people have been seen attending mass religious gatherings to combat COVID-19 spreading.
Vulnerabilities faced by the Refugees
According to the World Bank, each of the eight South Asian countries has one of the lowest numbers of physicians per capita. Healthcare staffs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are also raising questions about their lack of personal protective equipment as they treat patients with COVID-19 infections. Recently a boat carrying 200 Rohingya refugees was denied entry in Malaysia, resulting in the deaths of some 30 people at sea .At the same time, reports from Bangladesh are coming out with those newly-arrived Rohingya refugees, who spent nearly two months at sea after fleeing from Myanmar, are currently being quarantined by the Bangladeshi authorities without sufficient access to help on an insecure silt island in the Bay of Bengal. Most of these refugees live in small spaces in the refugee camps, where a possible COVID-19 infection in a single person may lead to an uncontrollable outbreak as measures such as social distance and basic hygiene in the refugee camp are extremely difficult to obey. The nationwide lockdown of Bangladesh is leading to economic constraints and is triggering cases of intimate partner violence, sexual harassments and misconducts among the women.
The Indian refugee camps are not getting enough attention due to the excessive pressure on the authorities with the increase in the number of confirmed cases. Many of the social security schemes that governments are launching to feed and pay the regular wagers of the working class have no provisions for non-citizens. Even the alternative livelihood aid of Rs 5,000 for migrant workers from the Delhi government does not include the Rohingya who are considered ‘illegal migrants’. As a result, 18,000 Rohingya refugees living in India have a very uncertain future lying ahead.
Conclusion
For the Rohingya’s living in Bangladesh camps, the arrival of the heavy monsoon rains in the coming month comes with the possibility of waterborne disease outbreaks. With limited manpower in the current situation keeping a proper sanitation system, it is a big challenge in this huge camp population. Healthcare staffs are at the forefront to tackle COVID-19. There is no way, without them, to prevent this inevitable health crisis or resolve certain medical needs. There is a severe shortage of important Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Bangladesh as well as elsewhere in the world. Although we witnessed encouraging displays of unity with frontline workers around the world, we also saw fear driving stigmatization and cruel behaviour following the same.
The UN and its partners are working to prevent the pandemic from wreaking havoc on vulnerable communities already suffering the impacts of humanitarian crises. The UNHCR office Delhi, along with its many partner NGOs, has worked to distribute hygiene kits in the refugee areas. They are also conducting many awareness-raising camps as well. UNHCR has stepped up its efforts to provide medical care, hygiene materials and isolation units, track COVID-19 spread, and establish communication networks, among other steps. Despite the closing of borders, the refugee agency is committed to protecting the rights and protection of internally displaced persons, including the right to seek asylum. The organization also works with partners on the ground to prevent and respond to gender-based and sexual harassment. It is, however, necessary that countries realise that ignoring the migrants will not reduce their problems in any way. The COVID-19 has shown the world that all the countries are inter-linked and it is time, the governments take actions with this in mind.
