conclusions
For decades now, the Rohingya have been forcibly displaced from Myanmar into Bangladesh, resulting in
the formation of the world’s largest refugee camp. However, in recent years the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has increasingly tamped down on the Rohingya people living within their borders, enforcing
severe restrictions on their freedom of movement that have begun to mirror the very policies that
compelled them to flee Myanmar in the first place. This report demonstrates that draconian restrictions
on freedom of movement in the Bangladesh camps are being enforced via rampant police corruption
and violence, and that these restrictions have far-reaching impacts on all areas of Rohingya life.
Rohingya respondents detailed strict and pervasive restrictions of movement enforced by the GoB that have
grown progressively tighter since 2019. These claims have been substantiated by APBn officers. Reported
restrictions include:
•
Prohibitions on leaving the camps
•
Increasing difficulty moving within camps
•
Fencing surrounding the entire camp. Respondents report that
these have turned the camp into an open-air prison
•
Curfews from 6pm to 6am
•
Restrictions on assembly
•
Vehicle bans within the camps
•
Prohibitions on work outside of the camp and at times within the camp
The GoB purports that these measures are in place for Rohingya protection: to crack down on
crime and reduce radicalisation and violence. However, they have had the opposite effect. The
camps are becoming increasingly unsafe due to violence by both the armed groups and the
APBn. Rohingya respondents overwhelmingly compared their current situation in Bangladesh
to being as bad, if not worse, than their treatment in Myanmar. Many believe the true reason
that these restrictions are in place is to weaken the Rohingya community and coerce them to
“voluntarily” repatriate to Myanmar. The current restrictions on movement, although framed
as protection, are instead creating the same oppressive environment from which they fled.
These restrictions are violently enforced by both the physical infrastructure put in place by the GoB
and through intimidation, physical abuse, and extortion by the APBn. Fencing constructed around the
entirety of the camp prevents people from moving freely, forcing them to pass through checkpoints where
they are subjected to the mercy of the APBn officers who enforce movement restrictions on a seemingly
arbitrary and ambiguous basis. This system has severely curtailed the ability of Rohingya to access food,
healthcare, and other necessities, as well as finding safety during emergencies, such as fires and monsoons.
Checkpoints have become places of routine violence where Rohingya experience physical and sexual
abuse from the APBn and confiscation of food, money, and phones. Arbitrary arrest and detention occurs
79
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