NO SAFE HAVEN Organisations whose staff had tested positive for COVID-19 had their operations suspended; meanwhile, the Rakhine state government cancelled all travel authorisations, requiring all organisations to submit new requests. Such requests were limited only to ‘life-saving assistance’, as defined by the Rakhine state government. Organisations that were able to continue operations were required to present ‘COVID Free’ certificates for staff to travel; however, limited testing capacity in Rakhine state means that in practice, this requirement was hard to meet. 64 Bloomberg, ‘With its economy in free fall, Myanmar braces for the worst’, 12 April 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ 2021-04-11/myanmar-crisis-looms-with-fitch-warning-economy-willshrink-up-to-20. 65 66 For example, on 29 November 2020, 96 Rohingya, including 25 children, were detained in Ayeyarwaddy Region in southern Myanmar, while in January 2021, 99 Rohingya were arrested in the commercial capital, Yangon. See The Irrawaddy, ‘Myanmar authorities detain scores of Rohingya, human traffickers in multiple raids’, 8 January 2021, https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/ myanmar-covid-19/myanmar-authorities-detain-scores-rohingyahuman-traffickers-multiple-raids.html; and Reuters, ‘Myanmar police arrest nearly 100 Rohingya in raid on house’, 6 January 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingyaidUSKBN29B1U5. In February 2020, at least 17 students were injured when an artillery shell landed on a school in Buthidaung township, while in September 2020, two children were killed and another injured as a result of artillery fire in Myebon township. See UNICEF, ‘Statement on the injury of at least 17 school children, in Buthidaung township, Rakhine State, Myanmar’, 14 February 2020, https://www.unicef.org/ myanmar/press-releases/unicef-statement-injury-least-17-schoolchildren-buthidaung-township-rakhine-state; and UNICEF, Myanmar ‘Statement on the killing and injury of children in Myebon, Rakhine State’, 10 September 2020, https://www.unicef.org/myanmar/pressreleases/unicef-myanmar-statement-killing-and-injury-childrenmyebon-rakhine-state. 67 68 In October 2020 two Rohingya boys, who were among a group of 15 villagers forced to guide Myanmar soldiers, were killed when fighting between the two armed actors erupted in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State. CTFMR expresses grave concern over circumstances of two children killed in fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army in Buthidaung, Rakhine State: Statement from the Co-Chairs of the UN Country Taskforce on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Violations against Children in Myanmar, 15 October 2020, https://www.unicef.org/ press-releases/ctfmr-expresses-grave-concern-over-circumstancestwo-children-killed-fighting 69 See for example, Amnesty International, “No one can protect us”: War crimes and abuses in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, 29 May, 2019, p. 30. Under international humanitarian law, all parties to a conflict are required to distinguish between civilian and military objects. Failure to do so can have the effect of turning civilian objects – such as schools – into legitimate military objectives. As a result, international guidelines urge that schools and other education facilities not be used in any way that could support the military effort. This includes when such facilities are temporarily closed. See Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict (Safe Schools Declaration), December 2014. 70 According to UNICEF, of the 254 cases of death and injury from landmine/improvised explosive device/unexploded ordnance in Myanmar in 2020, more than half (134, or 53%) were in Rakhine state, 19 of them children. UNICEF, ‘Landmines / ERW Incidents Information (2020)’, 27 January 2021, https://www.unicef.org/myanmar/reports/ myanmar-landmineerw-incidents-information-2. 71 72 Human Rights Watch, Burma/Bangladesh – Burmese refugees in Bangladesh: still no durable solution, May 2000, https://www.hrw.org/ reports/2000/burma/burm005-01.htm; see also AC Lindquist, Report on the 1978–79 Bangladesh Refugee Relief Operation, June 1979. 2019 Joint Response plan for Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, February 2019, p.10, https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/2019-jointresponse-plan-rohingya-humanitarian-crisis-january-december-enbn. 74 International Organization for Migration (IOM), Bangladesh: Needs and Population Monitoring Undocumented Myanmar Nationals in Teknaf and Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar, July 2017, www.reliefweb.int/sites/ reliefweb.int/files/resources/170814_NPM_RIV_Final.pdf. Of these 220,111 are girls, and 231,551 are boys. See 2021 Joint response plan: Rohingya humanitarian crisis, January–December 2021, May 2021, p. 8. 75 UNHCR, Bangladesh Fact Sheet, March 2017, http://www.unhcr.org/ 50001ae09.pdf. These refugees live in two official camps, the original Kutupalong Refugee Camp, home to 14,129 Rohingya, and Nayapura Refugee Camp, which is in the Teknaf area, and is home to 19,659 refugees. Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), Situation Report: Rohingya refugee crisis, 26 April 2018, p. 7. For more on the 1991–2 violence and expulsion, see Human Rights Watch, The Rohingya Muslims: Ending a cycle of exodus?, September 1996. 76 77 UNCHR, Joint Bangladesh/UNHCR verification of Rohingya refugees gets underway, 6 July 2018, https://www.unhcr.org/news/ briefing/2018/7/5b3f2794ae/joint-bangladeshunhcr-verificationrohingya-refugees-gets-underway.html UNCHR, Joint Bangladesh/UNHCR verification of Rohingya refugees gets underway, 6 July 2018. 78 79 Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees For the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Compilation Report, Universal Periodic Review: 3rd Cycle, 30th Session, Bangladesh, Bangladesh: Protection Working Group 2018 Rohingya Refugee Response – Advocacy Paper n.1, 19 March 2018, https://reliefweb.int/ sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/pwg_birth_registration_advocacy_ messages_120318.pdf. 81 Save the Children interview, February 2021. UNHCR, Independent Evaluation of UNHCR’s Emergency Response to the Rohingya Refugees Influx in Bangladesh, August 2017–September 2018, December 2018, p. 65, https://www.unhcr.org/5c811b464.pdf. 82 83 Article 4. 84 The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act No. 17 of 2009). 85 Save the Children interview, November 2020. To date, there are an estimated 8,000 children of officially registered refugees living in the camps. 86 87 Government of Bangladesh, Leaving No One Behind: Education for girls and boys of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Funding Proposal to the Global Partnership for Education, 2018, p. 9, https://www.global partnership.org/sites/default/files/20180813_gpe_proposal_rohingya_ final.pdf. 88 Human Rights Watch, Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugee Students Expelled, 1 April 2019, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/01/bangladeshrohingya-refugee-students-expelled. 89 2020 Covid-19 Response Plan: Addendum to the Joint Response Plan 2020, Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, April-December 2020, 5 July 2020, p. 41, https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/ www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/covid-19_ addendum_rohingya_refugee_response_020720_1.pdf. 90 Save the Children Interviews, February and March 2021. 2020 Joint Response Plan: Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis (January–December 2020) – Bangladesh, 3 March 2020, p. 71, https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/jrp_2020_final_ in-design_280220.2mb_0.pdf. 91 92 2020 Joint Response Plan: Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis (January– December 2020) – Bangladesh, 3 March 2020, p. 58. 93 Save the Children Interviews, February and March 2021. 94 Save the Children Interviews, February and March 2021. 95 Save the Children Interviews, February and March 2021. 96 Save the Children Interviews, February and March 2021. 73 38 Article 5, 2004 Births and Deaths Registration Act. 80