Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in India situation of refugees in India, their living conditions, and especially their access to ‘rights’ and basic services is very poor. The lack of a uniform national refugee law also means that different groups are treated differently and arbitrarily, with refugee protection being delivered in an ad hoc manner. The response received by refugees from the local population has also been varied, with some groups being treated with suspicion, while others are more positively received. While there is a marked contrast in the stated government policy towards persecuted non-Muslims and Muslims,19 the living conditions reported by all of them are broadly similar: poor security, lack of basic amenities, including sanitation, poor healthcare and education facilities, and limited employment and livelihood opportunities. Access to education and healthcare are abysmal, particularly for those living in camps. Private schools and hospitals are uniformly preferred, but few can afford them. With some exceptions, employment is limited to petty, informal, dailywage labour across groups. In almost every case, in the absence of tangible action at different levels of government, civil society has been forced to step in and try to provide the little service it can. There are no official figures for the number of Pakistani Hindus in India, but there are over 400 settlements for them in the state of Rajasthan alone.20 Education and healthcare facilities are generally poor, with civil society organisations having to step in.21 Lack of employment opportunities continues to be a challenge despite Hindus from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan being viewed favourably by the present national government. Women have reported facing a different set of problems such as being married off at extremely young ages to protect their ‘honour’ and being forced to bear multiple children. ‘Most deliver babies outside of hospitals, and maternal and infant mortality rates 19 The non-Muslims are treated favourably by the state while the Muslims, mainly, Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Muslims from Bangladesh, are viewed with suspicion and treated with hostility. 20 Shweta Desai, ‘Pakistani Hindus 'Unwelcome' in India,’ Al Jazeera, February 18, 2014, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/02/pakistani-hindusunwelcome-india-201421063012210386.html. 21 Anam Ajmal, ‘For Pak Hindus, Home Is Where the Mind Is without Fear,’ The Times of India, March 29, 2019, https://timesofindia.indiatimes. com/city/delhi/for-pak-hindus-home-is-where-the-mind-is-without-fear/ articleshow/68621792.cms. 45