These tensions have been exacerbated by the inequalities in service under the current system. “New arrivals” have been effectively added as a third distinct group from government-recognized refugees and UMN. Emergency aid since October 2016 has been largely restricted to them, though longer term UMN and the host communities are also facing new strains and may have equal or greater immediate needs. This not only goes against international best practices but also breeds ill will. UMN and new arrivals seek the legal status, protections, and relatively better shelters and facilities enjoyed by official refugees, while government-recognized refugees, to a certain extent, resent the attention and new aid received by new arrivals. Meanwhile, UMN often feel lost in between. Protection concerns are especially elevated for the new arrivals given that 57 percent are children and some 80 percent women or children. Some 25 percent of households among new arrivals are female headed households, meaning that a large proportion of the population is more vulnerable to exploitation and acts of GBV. In recognition of the threats women and children face, especially at night, solar grids have been set up at new shelters to provide the added protection of lighting. IOM and NGOs have set up safe spaces for women and have conducted door to door outreach to raise awareness of GBV threats and provide initial care to both new arrivals and other UMN. Still, the risks of gender-based violence remain high. During its recent mission, RI was told of cases of GBV. Women and girls, in particular, expressed fear of going out to gather food, water, or firewood or to go to the latrines, especially at night. Between December 2016 and April 2017, nearly 200 GBV cases were received by the ISCG protection group in four settlements housing around 120,000 new arrivals and other UMN. At the time of RI’s visit, the threat was highlighted by aid workers who were dealing with a horrific case of a gang rape of a 10-year-old girl who had been out gathering firewood. Though the mother is bravely pursuing the case, she 12 has faced threats and a lack of seriousness on the part of local officials. When crimes do take place, Rohingya in Bangladesh often lack access to justice mechanisms, despite the fact that, according to the Bangladeshi constitution, all persons in Bangladesh enjoy protection under the law.10 This rarely plays out in reality, however. The lack of proper identification adds to uncertainty and reluctance for victims of crimes to come forward. Seen as illegal migrants, the Rohingya can face criminal charges for being in the country or, as stateless persons, can face indefinite detention. Indeed, there are several cases of Rohingya who have been held for years with no certainty as to when or even if they will be released. The Government of Bangladesh has been reluctant to provide any sort of identification for fear of making the stay of Rohingya more permanent or acting as a “pull factor” for more migrants and asylum-seekers to come into the country. Perhaps the most troubling and under-recognized protection threat is that of human trafficking. This was a concern mentioned by every protection-related humanitarian aid worker with whom RI spoke, but rarely by the Rohingya population. Bangladesh was recently downgraded to a Tier 2 “Watch List” country in the U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, reflecting increased concerns about government efforts to combat trafficking. The report cited the “stateless status and inability to receive aid and work legally”as increasing the vulnerability of Rohingya in Bangladesh, noting that many among the new arrivals “are at elevated risk of being subjected to trafficking.”11 One worrying way that this has played out is in increasing numbers of children abducted or effectively sold into exploitative domestic servant positions. Action Contre La Faim (ACF) has reported the disappearance of 16 children since January 2017. According to humanitarian officials with whom RI spoke, Rohingya have also fallen victim to drug and sex trafficking. In some cases, women have found themselves forced to turn to survival sex as a coping mechanism. One humanitarian recounted asking a focus group of women if they were aware of survival sex taking place inside the camps and all said that it was. Another negative coping www.refugeesinternational.org