Burma Human Rights Network’s report: “We also have dreams” As more Rohingya were forced into Bangladesh in the 1990s, the rights of refugees deteriorated and tensions with the host community worsened. Significant restrictions on the right to education and freedom of movement, as well as forcible returns, were imposed on the Rohingya who remain to this day. Rohingya have struggled to access livelihood, find employment, access even basic education, and have been offered little hope of ever leaving the refugee camps, let alone Bangladesh. The hopelessness of the refugees’ situation and the poverty of the host community has oftentimes led to violent and exploitative situations that have only worsened over time. Notable among these is the emergence of criminal gangs, human traffickers, and armed groups, all of which persist today. While most organized gang activity impacts men and boys, trafficking and gender-based violence have been a serious concern for women and girls. Another wave of refugees arrived in Bangladesh in 2012 after anti-Rohingya riots rocked the state for months. Conservative estimates put the death toll at over 150 deaths, with over 140,000 Rohingya internally displaced⁷.The riots were largely instigated by ultra-nationalists and extremists connected to the Burmese military. These riots have often been recorded as sectarian fighting between the Muslim and Buddhist communities, but a great deal of evidence since these events has implicated that police and military personnel took part in the violence against the Rohingya. The following years saw periodic spates of violence against the Rohingya, often by the military and police⁸, but it wasn’t until 2016 that the population came under threat of mass expulsion again. A new Rohingya militancy grew from the events of the past 30 years that sought to strike back against the Burmese military and force the world to take notice of their plight. The group called itself Harakat al Yaqeen, or the Faith Movement. They soon changed their name to the more secular-sounding Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The group first attacked on 9 October 2016, raiding three police posts. The military responded with a devastating crackdown against the Rohingya that saw widespread human rights violations against the minority. The crackdown persisted into the summer of 2017 when ARSA’s next major strike would occur. 7- BBC. (2012, October 26). Burma: UN warning as death toll soars in Rakhine state. BBC News. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20093143. 8- "All you can do IS PRAY". Human Rights Watch. (2013, April 22). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https:// www.hrw.org/report/2013/04/22/all-you-can-do-pray/crimes-against-humanity-and-ethnic-cleansing-rohingyamuslims. www.bhrn.org.uk 9