findings VI: rohingya reflections on movement restrictions
Shirin, a 29-year-old Rohingya woman, shared a similar sentiment, “The police and authorities don’t
even consider us to be humans. They consider us to be animals who should be kept like a bird in a cage.” 145
Respondents also noted that dehumanising and humiliating treatment was not only inflicted
by the police and host community, but also by humanitarian aid workers in the camps.
“The humanitarian staff at the food centre taunt us,” said Sultana, a 31-year-old Rohingya woman. “[They
say] that we have a lot of babies and we have a lot of babies in order to receive more rations and [they say] that we
Rohingya women are like animals, that’s why we give birth to so many children.” 146
Future Generations
Respondents expressed concern related to the impact of the current restrictions on their children and
future generations. They expressed particular concern related to lack of education for Rohingya children, who are precluded from accessing formal education due both to restrictions on formal schooling
in the camps and not being allowed to travel outside of the camps to access education elsewhere.
“Though our children could not access education legally, we had made efforts to hire private teachers for our
children,” said Khadija, a 24-year-old Rohingya woman. “If we had income sources, we could educate them by
hiring private teachers. . . They are growing up, and remaining illiterate, and this makes us worry about them.” 147
145
146
147
Interview C12F
Interview C24F
Interview C17F
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