findings VI: rohingya reflections on movement restrictions
Respondents expressed additional concern related to the impact of restrictions, persecution, and
violence on the mental and social well being of future generations. Mohammed, a 28-year-old Rohingya
man, spoke about the long-term psychological and emotional toll of police terror on children: “A crying
baby stops crying if we talk about the police in the same way we were quiet when our parents used to talk about Rakhine people. If small children see police roaming around, they get scared and run towards the shelters. They are traumatised because of seeing the terror and violence of the police. I am afraid they will never feel relieved in the future.”148
Respondents reported that their children experience increased feelings of loneliness and lack of
opportunity to socially engage in healthy ways with other children (i.e exercise, sports, and other
social interactions) due to restrictions. Parents expressed an overall sense of dismay related to
not being able to set a positive example for their children or provide them with the tools they
will need for a successful future. Many felt that time is being wasted, and the longer children
go uneducated, the deeper the impacts will be. Hamid, a 28-year-old Rohingya man, said, “my
children ask me what they would do when they grow up here, as they can see that I have become nothing. I
had nothing to reply to them, so I just said the only way out is to become rebels and hold weapons.” 149
148
149
Interview C13M
Interview C21M
“A crying baby stops
crying if we talk about
the police in the same
way we were quiet when
our parents used to talk
about Rakhine people. If
small children see police
roaming around, they get
scared and run towards
the shelters. They are
traumatised because of
seeing the terror and
violence of the police. I am
afraid they will never feel
relieved in the future.”
77
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