camps on the mainland suggest that physical abuse by security forces remains a broader concern. The abuses began when the refugees rescued from boats first arrived on Bhasan Char in May 2020. Soldiers threatened and beat up male refugees, including children, while interrogating them about the smugglers who transported them. Women described hearing screams from the interrogation room, which refugees described as a “torture cell.” One boy, Sayed, 17, said that officials held him in the cell and beat him. “At one point they suspected I was one of the [smugglers] and they started beating me,” he said. “I still cannot walk properly and feel the pain of the torture in my body.” 164 Another refugee, Saker, said that an officer threatened him, saying “Don’t you know how the other men were beaten? Tell us the truth, otherwise you would face the same fate.” 165 In September 2020, naval officers beat a group of refugees for going on hunger strike to demand reunification with their families in the Cox’s Bazar camps. At the time, Human Rights Watch interviewed eight refugees who went on the hunger strike. “Navy personnel used tree branches and black rubber sticks to beat us,” Sultana, said. “They beat the protesting women and men, and even the children who were standing with their mothers.” 166 In video accounts shared on mobile phones, one Rohingya woman on hunger strike said: “It’s better to die than to live here.” 167 After the authorities beat them, the refugees ended their hunger strike. The physical abuse is not limited to Rohingya who were taken to the island after being rescued at sea. On April 12, 2021, three witnesses told Human Rights Watch that Bangladesh sailors beat four children between the ages of 8 to 11 with a hard-plastic PVC pipe as punishment for going outside of their block to play in another block. Human Rights Watch received photos of the children’s injuries that showed severe bruising. Three of the children were able to run away but one child was held down by a sailor who beat him 164 Human Rights Watch interview with Sayed, Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, May 18, 2020. 165 Human Rights Watch interview with Saker, Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, May 18, 2020. 166 Human Rights Watch interview with Sultana, Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, September 23, 2020. Human Rights Watch examined photos that showed injuries sustained by refugees because of beatings, but was unable to determine whether they received medical care for their injuries. 167 Quote from a video shared with Human Rights Watch on September 23, 2020. 49 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2021