Executive SUmmary
Enforcement: Sixty-two percent of Rohingya survey respondents reported that they had personally experienced punishments related to movement, and 96 percent reported that it was the
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) that punished them. YCR documented several abuses perpetrated
by APBn which are routinely utilised to enforce restrictions on freedom of movement, including arbitrary violence and detention, as well as forced labour and threats of forced relocation
from their homes in the mainland camps to the undesirable Bhasan Char Island Camp.
Corruption: This report reveals pervasive corruption of APBn and other camp authorities; 97.5
percent of survey respondents reported experience or knowledge of corruption in the camp
security forces. Rohingya face relentless extortion when attempting to pass through checkpoints, transport goods and necessities, drive vehicles in the camps, circumvent checkpoints,
participate in religious and cultural events, or avoid forced labour. YCR also documented the
widespread practice of APBn falsification of evidence against Rohingya as an impetus for further
extortion in the form of ‘fines’ for these falsified offences. In addition to committing extortion,
this report demonstrates that APBn officers routinely confiscate money, market goods, and
other valuable items being carried by Rohingya, including mobile phones and laptops.
Comparisons to Myanmar: Respondents often weighed their current situation in Bangladesh
against the violence and discrimination experienced prior to 2017 when they lived in Myanmar.
Rohingya staunchly emphasised the idea that APBn persecution and violence in Bangladesh was
comparable to the persecution perpetrated by the Myanmar Government and military forces,
often reporting that the restrictions on their basic rights in the camps were similar or worse than
the systemic human rights violations experienced in Myanmar. This sentiment was supported by
a majority of survey respondents, 65 percent of whom reported that they believed the restrictions
on movement in Bangladesh are worse than those they experienced previously in Myanmar.
Reasons for Restrictions: Due to the fact that government restrictions violate Rohingya rights, the
vast majority of Rohingya respondents rejected the government narrative that restrictions are necessary
to protect Rohingya. The majority of respondents believed that restrictions were intentionally implemented by the government to produce a coercive environment that will force Rohingya to relocate to the
undesirable Bhasan Char Island Camp or return to Myanmar. In fact, 72 percent of Rohingya survey respondents believed that the restrictions were in place to attempt to displace Rohingya from the camps.
Impacts on Rohingya : The majority of Rohingya reported that movement restrictions have severe
impacts precluding them from being able to access other basic rights, such as seeking out healthcare, finding work or livelihood opportunities, accessing education, meeting with family or friends,
acquiring daily necessities, and participating in religious practices or cultural events. Rohingya
respondents reported that, for Rohingya who are in crisis, such as patients with emergency medical
needs or those fleeing violence or seeking safety from fires in the camps, movement restrictions
and infrastructure such as barbed wire fencing, have been life threatening. Moreover, Rohingya
were not confident that humanitarian actors were effective in advocating with the government
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