FAMILY SEPARATION AND MOBILITY Due to the waves of displacement that have separated Rohingya families over the past several decades, slightly over half of camp households (53 percent) have an immediate family member living in another country. This figure includes both relatives who remain in Myanmar and those who have fled or migrated to a third country. It also includes a significant number of incarcerated persons. There are gender and age differences with respect to movement trends. Fewer than one in five family members in third countries is female, though women recently have been a larger percentage of those boarding boats.22 Threequarters of the family members abroad are under the age of 35. Nearly half of camp residents’ relatives in third countries traveled by boat. Boat travel is used by Rohingya both to flee violence in emergency lifesaving situations and to pursue livelihood opportunities, marriage, and family reunification. Many have relied on travel arranged by traffickers and smugglers. For boats departing from Myanmar, as well as from Bangladesh, the high smuggling fees demanded by traffickers represent a large financial sacrifice for many families. RELATIVES IN THIRD COUNTRIES Thirty-nine percent of camp households have at least one family member living in a country other than Myanmar or Bangladesh (figure 10).21 The majority are in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia (figure 11). Three-quarters of those abroad began their travels from Myanmar, with the majority departing after 2010. Other destination countries include Thailand, India, and Indonesia. Seven percent of camp residents’ relatives in third countries are in Western nations, where most were formally resettled by the UNHCR. Smuggling fees varied greatly for these journeys. The average cost for those who traveled by boat to Malaysia between 2012 and 2015 was 2.1 million Myanmar kyat.23 It is not known what percentage of income this represented for these families, but it is roughly equivalent to 62 percent of Myanmar’s average annual household income at the time, approximately 3.4 million kyat.24 Figure 11. Location of immediate family members liv ing outside Myanmar and Bangladesh Families financed these journeys in a number of ways, with more than half pooling funds from multiple sources. Among all methods of financing these journeys, selling assets or property was the most common (figure 12). Many did so in order for the departing household member to escape immediate danger, while in other cases people fled after a longer process of deliberation. 1% 2% USA Pakistan 4% Other Saudi Arabia 2% Thailand 28% 5% India 58% Malaysia 2% Australia 633 respondents provided details for 1,072 relatives in third countries Figure 10. Profile of relatives in third countries 39% of camp households have at least one immediate family member living in a third country. Of these relatives abroad: < 35 58% live in Malaysia 83% are male 2010 75% 75% are under the age of 35 began their journey abroad in Myanmar 633 respondents provided details for 1,072 relatives in third countries 16 71% began their journeys aft er 2010 48% travelled by boat, which tends to be associated with crisis-related migration and displacement involving illegal traffickers