findings iV: impact of movement restrictions
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Livelihoods and Income
Rohingya reported that movement restrictions severely curtailed their ability to work both outside of
and within the camps. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents reported facing severe challenges
accessing work due to restrictions on movement. Checkpoints and fencing create physical barriers
to seeking jobs, and respondents reported that even if they are able to navigate these barriers and
secure work outside of the camp or in other camps, they often lose their jobs due to being absent
from work or late to work because of delays at checkpoints or being refused exit from the camp.
Respondents reported that official camp policies prevent Rohingya from holding jobs outside of
the camps or even selling goods inside of the camp–the primary example being the destruction
of the markets within the camp, and the prohibitions against selling items within the camp.
“The situation was not this bad in the past here,” said Dilshad, a 37-year-old Rohingya woman. “Only in the past three years have we seen restrictions here. People are not allowed to move
because they put fences on all sides, and shops and markets are not allowed to open. Since the
markets and businesses have been destroyed, people’s financial struggles started.” 102
Comparing the situation to their lives in Myanmar, some respondents reported that the livelihood situation is much worse in Bangladesh:
“Due to the restrictions on our movement, we can’t access the market properly,” said Sabina, a 30-year-old Rohingya woman. “When we were in Myanmar, we used to own fishing lakes. We were able to fish there at night. We
could breed poultry as well as cattle there. Since we are Rohingya refugees here, restrictions have been imposed even
on our livelihoods. As we are displaced people, we should live as if we are stateless. We can’t own or do anything. We
can neither own a fishing lake nor breed any poultry here. Due to the restriction, we are facing all these challenges.” 103
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Interview C03F
Interview C26F