2021
Statelessness & Citizenship Review
3(1)
REFLECTIONS
Conditions in the camps have changed significantly during the COVID-19
pandemic, and Rohingya refugees face intensified challenges. As outlined, the
lack of sustainability regarding food and water distribution is acutely apparent.
Without suitable rations or the ability to supplement rations, refugees cannot fulfil
their nutritional needs. Through the new requirements which necessitate staying
close to home or indoors for long periods, the existing housing has been exposed
as being less than adequate. Appropriate healthcare is more critical, and other
services, such as education, are needed to sustain young refugees’ wellbeing. As
in all communities, reliable information is vital to lessen the impacts of rumours
and misinformation, which cause fear. Finally, gender-based inequities are
aggravated by the tenuous situation.
Concerning the camps, the pandemic blatantly reveals that the camps urgently
require a long-term political solution. Currently, Bangladesh does not issue exit
visas to Rohingya refugees, and many refugees do not hold official refugee status.
This means that they cannot leave Bangladesh to be resettled in a third country.
At the same time, safe repatriation is not an option due to the ongoing coup d’état
and the likelihood of continued persecution upon return. This impasse, heightened
by the pandemic, demonstrates that the Rohingya communities in the camps need
to be able to access more permanent solutions to their plight within-country or
have the option to be resettled abroad.
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