Protection risks en route to Malaysia
Figure 3. Protection risks en route
99% of the Rohingya women report having transited in at least one country before arriving
73%
Detention
in Malaysia. The most common was Thailand (84%), followed by Bangladesh (40%) and
Indonesia (13%), which is in line with available reporting on common Rohingya travel
Physical violence
routes to Malaysia.5 Walking was cited as the most common means of transportation
(90%), followed by boat (66%), car (66%), truck (26%), and bus (23%), among others
62%
Sexual violence
(motorbike, plane, and train).
33%
Non-physical
violence (eg
harrassment)
“While I was traveling from Yangon to Thailand, I had to walk for days without food
and water. The smuggler I hired got arrested, so I had to find another smuggler to
continue the journey. It took me six months to reach Malaysia.”
26%
Death
22%
Kidnapping
22%
21-year-old Rohingya woman, surveyed in Perak, Malaysia
The journey to Malaysia was perilous for nearly all Rohingya women surveyed. 97% report
at least one dangerous location along the journey and 47% consider more than one. 88%
Bribery /extortion
17%
Robbery
16%
Injury/ill health
from harsh
conditions
15%
of Rohingya women who transited in Thailand (n=405) report at least one dangerous
location in Thailand and 28% who transited in Bangladesh (n=195) report at least one
dangerous location in the country. Detention (73%) and physical violence (62%) were
the two primary threats en route, see Figure 3. In addition, a third of Rohingya women
surveyed report risks of sexual violence.
Different age groups report levels of risk differently. For instance, a greater share of young
Rohingya women cite risks of detention (75% among women aged 18-25 and – 27/44
among women aged 26-30), physical violence (62% among women aged 18-25, 27/44
among women aged 26-30), and sexual violence (34% among women aged 18-25 and
Refused
1%
Other
0%
0%
15/44 among women aged 26-30) than women of older age group (respectively 9, 8, and
Rohingya women (n=468)
Multi-select
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2 out of 17 women aged 31 and above). Meanwhile, a larger share of women aged 31 and
above cite risks of non-physical violence (10/17).
76% of Rohingya women who report dangerous locations en route (n=468) say they
personally experienced protection violations. The most common violations reported were
physical violence (48%) followed by non-physical violence (18%) and detention (18%),
see Figure 4. Younger women more often experienced physical violence (49% among
women aged 18-25, n=407). This share was slightly lower among women aged 26-30,
(19/44) and much lower among those aged 31 and over (4/17). Non-physical violence,
such as harassment, is more commonly reported by women participants aged 26-30 and
31 and above (15/44 and 6/17).
3