Recommendations
Rohingya have historically been denied equal access or faced barriers to accessing healthcare. When the pandemic
struck, Rohingya were therefore disadvantaged in accessing health service and information. The testing and quarantine
facilities that have been put in place for camp-based Rohingya were vital. Priority must be given to dismantling the
structural barriers which undermine access to healthcare, in order to control the spread of the pandemic, within
Rohingya communities and in wider society.
The internet blackouts imposed on Rohingya and Rakhine communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar should
be lifted immediately to improve access to health information and services, to facilitate communication between
aid providers and communities, and to enable communities to self-organise their own initiatives.
Domestic violence and mental health services should be extended and adapted in ways that are accessible and
sensitive to the needs of refugees and migrants, especially during lockdown. Governments are obligated to
provide protection to all women and children, including refugees.
Rohingya community members, and women in particular, must be enabled to participate centrally in the
development and implementation of services and public health initiatives. This would improve the effectiveness
and scope of such measures.
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