Incarceration rates are high. Nearly one in five households (19 percent) have an immediate family member currently in jail. Commonly cited reasons for arrest are illegal movement or immigration and, particularly in Bangladesh, drug charges. Many of the Rohingya prisoners in Myanmar have been held arbitrarily without specific charges since the waves of violence in 2016 and 2017. Many were released in late 2019 and early 2020, and some have recently arrived in Bangladesh to rejoin their families. Location of incarcerated relatives <1% China 5% Saudi Arabia 3% 11% Bangladesh 72% Myanmar 1% India Thailand 7% <1% Malaysia Indonesia 298 respondents provided details on incarcerated family members; some provided details for more than one person. n = 356 SUPPORT NETWORKS Remittance as share of annual income Twenty-one percent of all families received a remittance in the past 12 months. While having a family member abroad is a necessary condition for receiving remittances, just 39 percent of those with a relative in another country received remittances. Remittances are an important and much-needed safety net used for supplementing food rations, for buying clothes, or as an emergency healthcare fund. MOST OF INCOME 17% MORE THAN HALF OF INCOME ● Most recipient families had received a remittance one or two times in the past year, especially during religious festivals. ● Eighty-eight percent of transfers were less than BDT 12,000. ● For 54 percent of households who receive them, remittances constitute half or more of their annual income. HALF OF INCOME 16% 21% 36% LESS THAN HALF OF INCOME NEGLIGIBLE SHARE 9% n = 353 RESTRICTED COMMUNICATION, MOBILITY AND LIVELIHOOD Families must contend with various restrictions enacted by authorities. Ostensibly these are security measures to protect refugee and host communities, but in practice they make life harder and increase the sense of despondency. These restrictions include: ● A complete shutdown of the phone and internet network since September 2019, part of a blanket crackdown to thwart criminal activity that applies to the entire camp population. ● Limitations on mobility within the camps and prohibitions on travel outside the camp perimeter, which is currently being enclosed with fencing. ● A ban on formal employment, exclusion from the banking system, absence of a formal education system, and a lack of job opportunities. Communication restrictions strain family ties among separated relatives. This is particularly true for women, who have difficulty leaving their shelters to use the small number of working internet connections that are available near the camp perimeter, on hilltops, or from members of the host community for a fee. The network shutdown also impedes access to news, information, and opportunities for refugees to engage in advocacy about their situation.