4.2.4  How refugees want to support themselves In answer to our quantitative survey questions about how refugees would like to support themselves if they were to stay in Bangladesh for the next 5–10 years, most said in-kind assistance, followed by working for a wage, cash distributions and (for a smaller number) wanting to migrate for work elsewhere in the region. The first choice, in-kind assistance, reflects the status quo, as about 860,000 refugees regularly rely on food assistance (UN, 2019: 11). In interviews the order differed slightly, with most refugees saying they wanted someone in their household to work or a combination of work and aid (most wanted cash, and a smaller number in-kind aid). Refugees saw work as a way to generate income and meet their needs, be active and distract from thinking about their traumatic experiences and protect against inconsistent levels of aid and concerns that aid would not continue indefinitely: We want to earn money doing jobs. If we receive assistance we will remain lazy. We want to earn the money. If we get to work here and earn our livelihood and also get cash that would be better, we could send our children to school. If we work we wouldn’t be reminded of the tortures we faced in our own country and also if there is work for them to do, for men and for women, that would be good for us. If we are sitting all day and not able to work we will just be reminded of the torture we faced in our country. I wished we got to work and could earn our own livelihood and buy whatever we want, like vegetables. If you distribute cash it will only be once or even if you keep giving us cash, your bank account will finish and that will not work – if we can work we can support ourselves. Some refugees, including but not only older people and people with a disability, mentioned that they did not want to work and preferred to receive cash or rations. As in any community, not everyone will be able to work, and there needs to be a sufficient safety net to support those whose life circumstances restrict them from working. Findings from our quantitative survey show that refugees wanted to work in a wide range of sectors. While there was variation in gender preference for each profession, women said they wanted to work in all of the sectors listed in Figure 4 below. Figure 4: Which of the following sector would you like to work in? Beauty or hair salon Repair or mechanic work Care for older people or children Service industry Education and teaching Garment or factory work Cleaning Work for an NGO Construction Trader or work in the market Agriculture, farming, etc. Any work 0 10 20 30 40 % 20 Uncertain futures: Rohingya refugees’ perspectives on their displacement in Bangladesh 50 60