Figure 21. Frequency of communication
w ith relatives in third countries
Figure 22. Connections in Bangladesh
CAMP HOUSEHOLDS THAT KNOW
SOMEONE LIVING IN BANGLADESH
45%
29%
14% yes
23%
13%
Never Infrequently Every
month
Every
week
4%
2%
Don’t
know
Every
day
633 respondents provided information their
communication with 1,072 relatives in third countries
86% no
CONNECTIONS IN BANGLADESH
AND BEYOND
TYPE OF CONTACTS IN BANGLADESH
Just 14 percent of camp households report knowing
someone who lives in Bangladesh outside the camps.
While this low figure is likely a conservative estimate
(some respondents might be reluctant to admit knowing
someone in that situation), it nonetheless indicates that
concerns over Rohingya leaving the camps illegally in
large numbers are overstated, and that policies to prevent
assimilation have been effective. Registered refugees
(55 percent) are more likely to know someone than the
newly arrived population (13 percent). In 41 percent of
cases, the person known to the household is an extended
or immediate relative. Other types of contacts include
a friend, acquaintance, or business contact (figure 22).
There may be positive and negative effects of this lack
of interaction between refugees and host communities
in terms of social cohesion: while segregation reduces
the risk of intercommunal tension and violence, it also
limits opportunities for building trust and overcoming
stereotypes.
Friend
26%
Acquaintance
26%
Extended family
member
26%
Immediate family
member
Business contact
15%
7%
n = 298, multiple response
Of these, nine in ten are in contact with a non-Rohingya
person in Bangladesh, while in contrast very few
households are in contact with a non-Rohingya person in
Myanmar or elsewhere.
Only 15 percent of camp households have contact with
a someone who is not ethnically Rohingya (figure 23).
Figure 23. Connections w ith non-Rohingya
CAMP HOUSEHOLDS WITH A
NON-ROHINGYA CONTACT
5%
Saudi Arabia
15%
91%
yes
Bangladesh
6%
Myanmar
7%
85%
Malaysia
no
Among the 15% of households who have non-Rohingya contacts
23