{"id":54993,"date":"2019-06-07T09:17:34","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T16:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/?p=54993"},"modified":"2020-06-04T16:18:50","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T23:18:50","slug":"citizens-nowhere-rohingya-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/refugees-news-stories\/citizens-nowhere-rohingya-refugees","title":{"rendered":"Citizens of nowhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Citizens of
\n<\/b><\/span>NOWHERE<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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By Kari Costanza | Photos by Jon Warren<\/i><\/span>
\nKaren Homer and Himaloy Joseph Mree of World Vision in Bangladesh contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator el_width=”90″][vc_column_text el_class=”zeta”]Five-year-old <\/span>Jannatul<\/span> <\/span>Firdous <\/span>is deep in thought<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>How best to describe the meaning of her name? <\/span>Jannatul<\/span> <\/span>Firdous <\/span>means heaven — the best heaven — so she wants to get <\/span>it <\/span>right.*<\/span> “Heaven is a place where children can play,” she begins<\/span> as<\/span> <\/span>h<\/span>er 26-year-old mother, <\/span>Salima<\/span>**, gazes <\/span>at her <\/span>with a <\/span>sweet <\/span>half-smile. “There are many flowers<\/span>,<\/span>” <\/span>continues<\/span> <\/span>Jannatul<\/span>. <\/span>“<\/span>There is a big pond of water<\/span>. <\/span>Heaven is a happy place.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Camp 13, where <\/span>Jannatul<\/span> <\/span>now <\/span>lives, is no heaven. Children play in the dirt, kicking up dust that <\/span>floats <\/span>in the <\/span>hot <\/span>afternoon<\/span> air<\/span>. It’s<\/span> a far cry from the lush, green <\/span>countryside surrounding<\/span> the home she fled in<\/span> Myanmar<\/a>. <\/span>Here, there’s no playful splashing in big ponds. Instead, <\/span>Jannatul<\/span> must lug heavy metal water containers from a pump up a steep hillside staircase that leads to her family’s makeshift shelter.  <\/span>In Camp 13, some<\/span> <\/span>sweat under a hot sun, breathing in the diesel fuel stink of trucks loaded with bamboo <\/span>poles<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Amid the cacophony of<\/span> clink<\/span>ing<\/span> shovels and ping<\/span>ing<\/span> hammer<\/span>s<\/span>, <\/span>they <\/span>lay bricks and fill burlap bags to shore up <\/span>steep <\/span>hillsides <\/span>to prepare for<\/span> <\/span>the <\/span>coming <\/span>monsoon season. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Jannatul<\/span> lives in the <\/span>world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camp<\/span><\/a> in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.<\/span> Of its nearly 1 million residents, more than half are children. <\/span>Most of the people here are <\/span>Rohingya, a <\/span>persecuted<\/span>, predominately<\/span> <\/span>Muslim-minority group <\/span>from<\/span> Myanmar<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>who <\/span>have faced discrimination in Myanmar over several decades, including the denial of citizenship. <\/span>I<\/span>n August <\/span>and September <\/span>2017, <\/span>more than <\/span>740,000 Rohingya fled <\/span>to<\/span> Bangladesh<\/a>, driven from their homes by extreme violence in <\/span>Myanmar’s <\/span>northern Rakhine State. <\/span>They joined about 200,000 Rohingya who had previously fled here.<\/span> <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator el_width=”90″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

*Jannah is often translated in the Qur’an as “heaven.” Jannatul Firdous is Islam’s highest level of heaven.<\/p>\n

**Name changed for protection<\/p>\n

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A World Vision nutrition center atop a hill in Camp 10<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Camp 13<\/span><\/span> is <\/span><\/span>one of <\/span><\/span>33<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>sprawling <\/span><\/span>subsettlements<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>with<\/span><\/span>in the <\/span><\/span>“mega<\/span><\/span>–<\/span><\/span>camp.”<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>qualid and overcrowded, it is home to 41,000 people<\/span><\/span> who are citizens of nowhere<\/span><\/span> — <\/span><\/span>the antithesis of the happy place <\/span><\/span>Jannatul<\/span><\/span> dreams<\/span><\/span> of<\/span><\/span>. What can be done for girls like <\/span><\/span>her <\/span><\/span>born <\/span><\/span>to live a full life<\/span><\/span>? <\/span><\/span>The answer lies in World Vision’s three areas of focus in the camps: provision, protection, and partnering with the host community. World Vision staff in Bangladesh work to meet refugees’ basic needs and those of the surrounding community and help to ensure that children and their parents are safe, and their rights are protected.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”Provision”][vc_column el_class=”full-width-image-formatting full-width-image-2 black-transparent-background-position”][vc_row_inner el_class=”black-transparent-background”][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-10″][vc_column_text el_class=”alpha section-titles” css=”.vc_custom_1560207650987{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Provision: Tackling the basics<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/12″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”7\/12″ el_class=”left-column-padding-desktop”][vc_column_text el_class=”zeta”]The mass exodus of the Rohingya from Myanmar is a story of hell on earth. Girls and women<\/span>, especially,<\/span> <\/span>arrived <\/span>in Bangladesh <\/span>with <\/span>both <\/span>physical and emotional scars. A <\/span>2018<\/span> <\/span>U<\/span>nited <\/span>N<\/span>ations<\/span> High Commission for Refugees report<\/span><\/a> <\/span>titled<\/span> <\/span>“<\/span>Culture, Context and Mental Health of the <\/span>Rohingya <\/span>Refugees<\/span>”<\/span> <\/span>details how <\/span>women were molested, raped, and forced into prostitution in Myanmar.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

When violence erupted in <\/span>their village in August 201<\/span>7<\/span>, <\/span>Salima’s<\/span> <\/span>family of five became separated.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>“<\/span>Jannatul<\/span> was with me, but I didn’t know what had happened to my husband and my<\/span> [other]<\/span> children,” she says. “Later<\/span>,<\/span> I saw them dead.” Mohamed, 30, was shot; their son, <\/span>2-year-old <\/span>Hafej<\/span>, and daughter, <\/span>1-year-old <\/span>Kalima<\/span>, <\/span>were <\/span>stabbed to death. Her expression clouded by sadness, <\/span>Salima<\/span> <\/span>holds out her phone to <\/span>show <\/span>a photo of <\/span>Kalima<\/span> and <\/span>Hafej<\/span>,<\/span> smiling<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> pressed up against <\/span>their<\/span> big sister, <\/span>Jannatul<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Provision<\/span> — meeting basic needs — was the <\/span>goal <\/span>when <\/span>World Vision<\/span><\/a> began <\/span>helping refugees <\/span>in August 2017<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Jannatul<\/span> and <\/span>Salima<\/span> were among the first beneficiaries. <\/span>“World Vision gave me shelter,” says <\/span>Salima<\/span>. <\/span>The<\/span> <\/span>shelters built by <\/span>new <\/span>arrivals <\/span>were <\/span>erected<\/span> <\/span>hastily<\/span>, made<\/span> <\/span>from<\/span> chopp<\/span>ed-<\/span>down trees<\/span> and<\/span> <\/span>covered with<\/span> tarps handed out by the U.N. <\/span>Then <\/span>in April 2018, <\/span>World Vision <\/span>provided <\/span>bamboo poles, cement, and additional tarps<\/span> <\/span>to fortify<\/span> the shelters<\/span> against the seasonal monsoon rains<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Salima<\/span> was one of 150,000 people <\/span>campwide<\/span> who received <\/span>essentials like<\/span> hygiene kits, cooking equipment, and feminine hygiene products — <\/span>desperately needed by<\/span> <\/span>people<\/span> <\/span>who <\/span>arrived with little more than the clothes they wore. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Water<\/a> <\/span>was another essential<\/span> need<\/span>. In Camp 13, World Vision <\/span>installed<\/span> <\/span>deep tube-wells, pumps, <\/span>and latrines. By the end of 2018, 158,000 people<\/span> had <\/span>access to <\/span>water and sanitation<\/span> services<\/span> in <\/span>Salima’s<\/span> camp<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>12 <\/span>other<\/span>s<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Urgent<\/span> health<\/a> issues were <\/span>also <\/span>addressed. <\/span>A <\/span>study by the<\/span> Bangladesh<\/span> Ministry of Health revealed that <\/span>10<\/span>% of <\/span>the <\/span>children <\/span>under the age of 5 in the camps <\/span>ha<\/span>d<\/span> moderate acute malnutrition<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>which can lead to death<\/span><\/a> if left untreated. <\/span>World Vision, working in partnership with the World Food Programme opened malnutrition prevention and treatment centers in three camps to reach more than 13,000 at-risk children with supplementary food.<\/span> <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/12″][vc_single_image image=”55179″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text el_class=”sidebar-text”]<\/p>\n

Citizens of nowhere: Why the Rohingya are not ordinary refugees<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1982, Myanmar passed a law that <\/span><\/span>exc<\/span><\/span>luded many <\/span><\/span>ethnicities, including<\/span><\/span> the Rohingya<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>from status as <\/span><\/span>an official national race. <\/span><\/span>As a result<\/span><\/span>, the Rohingya were denied citizenship <\/span><\/span> — <\/span><\/span>making them one of the world’s <\/span><\/span>largest <\/span><\/span>groups of stateless people <\/span><\/span> — and<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>subject<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> to <\/span><\/span>restrict<\/span><\/span>ion<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span><\/a> in marriage, family <\/span><\/span>size<\/span><\/span>, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement. For example, in two northern towns in Myanmar, Rohingya were allowed to have only two children. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While they are safer and have more freedom in Bangladesh, they <\/span><\/span>face <\/span><\/span>restrictions in <\/span><\/span>the country <\/span><\/span>which <\/span><\/span>is not a signatory <\/span><\/span>to the <\/span><\/span>United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention<\/span><\/span><\/a> and therefore does not recognize the Rohingya as refugees<\/span><\/span>. The convention defines what a refugee is and what rights <\/span><\/span>they have<\/span><\/span>, including freedom of religion and movement, the right to work<\/span><\/span> and<\/span><\/span> education<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> and access to travel documents. A key component <\/span><\/span>is the stipulation <\/span><\/span>that refugees should not be <\/span><\/span>involuntarily <\/span><\/span>forced to <\/span><\/span>return<\/span><\/span> to a country where they fear persecution. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Without legal refugee <\/span><\/span>status, <\/span><\/span>Rohingya in Bangladesh are not allowed to work, move outside the camps<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> or immigrate to other countries<\/span><\/span>. C<\/span><\/span>hildren are not allowed to go to school<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>and women and <\/span><\/span>children are targets for abuse such as human trafficking, <\/span><\/span>child labor, child <\/span><\/span>marriage, gender-based violence, and other forms of exploitation.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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World Vision’s response in 2018<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=”blue-section” css=”.vc_custom_1559949109180{padding-right: 16px !important;padding-left: 16px !important;}”]264,881<\/strong> people reached with life-saving humanitarian assistance<\/p>\n

1,720<\/strong> children each week on average benefited from protection activities<\/p>\n

158,000<\/strong> people reached with clean water and sanitation services<\/p>\n

30,535<\/strong> children and mothers received nutrition support<\/p>\n

44,280<\/strong> people reached with upgraded shelter kits<\/p>\n

150,000<\/strong> people received essential items (hygiene kits, cooking equipment, baby supplies, feminine hygiene products)<\/p>\n

22,500<\/strong> people benefited from cash-for-work activities<\/p>\n

920,000<\/strong> total people for whose protection and rights World Vision is advocating, including their voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation to Myanmar[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]