They have endured pain, torture, loss and trauma. They took on the perilous journey from Myanmar’s Rakhine state – where the military junta unleashed inexplicable brutality on the Rohingya men, women and children with genocidal intent – to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where they were given a safe shelter by the government and people.

Initially, the Rohingya were afforded empathy, sympathy and compassion by both Bangladesh and the international community, but the interest of the latter – especially on the repatriation or sustenance of the unfortunate Rohingya – has been waning over time. With other issues of more relevance – and of increasing geopolitical interest – riding high on the humanitarian agenda (i.e. victims of the Russia-Ukraine war), the donors are able to spare only a little of their funds – or thoughts, for that matter – for the Rohingya.

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Bangladesh, in the aftermath of the double economic shocks of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, is struggling to provide for the Rohingya refugees, especially because of the ever dwindling funds from the international community. Last year, less than half of the appealed USD 881 million under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) was disbursed.

As a result, the Rohingya are helplessly drowning in their own misery. While some of the refugees seem to have accepted their ill fate with a stoic outlook, others – especially the younger ones – are desperate to change their fate. This is making them vulnerable to the lures and traps of criminals – from drug dealers to prostitution rings to human traffickers. Given there is little to no economic activity within the camps, and no certainty about repatriation, the Rohingya face a bleak future.

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