Access to child protection: All Rohingya children
must be able to safely access appropriate and
coordinated child protection services including social
work case management and mental health and
psychosocial support (MHPSS) regardless of their
immigration or other status. Special efforts should
be made to respond to the immediate psychosocial
needs of adolescent girls and boys.
Access to healthcare: Ensure that all Rohingya
children are able to access quality and inclusive
healthcare services. Include refugee populations,
including Rohingya children, in national COVID-19
vaccination and allocation plans.
Facilitate family reunification: Develop a
coordinated regional approach to reunification of
unaccompanied and separated Rohingya children with
their parents or other legal guardians. This should
include communication, as well as the establishment
of safe and legal routes for reunification.
End arrest and detention: Individuals must not
be criminalised, detained or otherwise punished
solely for their method of arrival in a country.
States that detain undocumented persons, including
children, in immigration or other detention centres
should immediately enact policies to provide
alternatives to detention.
Humanitarian access and support: Make sure
that UN agencies, humanitarian organisations
and NGOs have full and unfettered access to
communities in need. International donors should
provide continuing financial support for
humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations,
particularly children.
Acknowledge and address the root causes
of Rohingya leaving Myanmar: This should
include implementing recommendations made by
the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State and
supporting international justice processes aimed at
holding to account the perpetrators of international
crimes and human rights violations.
Transparency and consultation: Make sure
that Rohingya, including children, are able to
meaningfully participate in decisions affecting
their lives. Make special efforts to consult women
and girls, people with disabilities and other
at‑risk populations in policy and other discussions
and decisions.
Address xenophobia and advocacy of hatred:
Publicly condemn incitement to discrimination,
hostility or violence – including where it is
propagated by state officials – and raise awareness,
including through educational campaigns in host
communities and at the national and local levels,
highlighting principles of non-discrimination,
tolerance and inclusion.
Strengthen international legal protection:
Ratify the UN Refugee Convention and the
UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless
Persons, incorporate their provisions in domestic
law and implement them in policy and practice.
v
PHOTO: MARIA DE LA GUARDIA/SAVE THE CHILDREN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in
Myanmar in 2017, when more than 730,000
crossed the border into Bangladesh.