DHAKA: Sexual harassment remains the most pressing concern for Rohingya women and adolescents living in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar according to a study released on Sunday.
Cox’s Bazar is home to around one million largely Muslim Rohingya minority members who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
ActionAid conducted sixty six in depth interviews revealing dire challenges faced by women and adolescents in the camps.
Sexual harassment is the biggest concern according to Tamazer Ahmed, policy, research and advocacy manager at ActionAid.
Early marriage and polygamy have become normalised with ninety three percent of interviewees remaining outside the scope of legal assistance.
Participants reported violence was meted out not only by men known to their families but also by members of the Armed Police Battalion.
Women in the camps described a shift in the nature of threats from lack of basic amenities in the early days to more systemic abuses now.
Rohingya women and adolescents often fall victim to molestation, rape, trafficking, poverty, educational exclusion, and even death according to Ahmed.
Girls aged between six and fifteen were particularly vulnerable with most incidents occurring near latrines and bathing points.
They were also vulnerable at distribution centres, hospitals, schools and madrassas, border zones and even within relatives’ homes.
Patriarchy runs deep in the Rohingya community according to Farah Kabir, executive director at ActionAid.
The views of Rohingya women mostly aged sixteen to thirty years were central to the research.
Women surveyed urged authorities to improve lighting in public areas and replace APBN officers with army personnel.
They also called for engaging men in prevention efforts and expanding access to education and livelihoods.
Trust in law enforcement and religious leaders remained low with many women saying they had almost nowhere to turn when facing abuse.
Kausar Sikdar, commanding officer of APBN, said they were not aware of any such allegations against the force.
Bangladesh has recorded a surge of refugees from Myanmar since early 2024 with one hundred and fifty thousand more Rohingya arriving. – AFP
