Seeking refuge in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District, Rohingya refugees’ lives are restricted and their future uncertain.
Although the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar are widely described as “the largest refugee camps in the world,” none of its inhabitants are officially recognised as refugees in Bangladesh. This lack of recognition status means that Rohingya living here have no official protection under international law.
The refugees have gained access to basic services; however, are extremely restricted in how they can live; their right to freedom of movement, access to education and right to work are all restricted in the camps.
Without recognised refugee status in Bangladesh or legal citizenship in Myanmar, they are citizens of nowhere.
Thousands of vulnerable people have been affected by devastating fires at Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar refugee camp in March.
The fire spread rapidly through the overcrowded makeshift camps. Destroying what little belongings and a sense of home that the vulnerable Rohingya community of the Cox's Bazar refugee camps had.
Essential facilities like healthcare and food distribution centres were lost. And thousands of refugees were left without access to water, sanitation and hygiene, making them even more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With your support, World Vision is providing life-saving assistance to the thousands of Rohingyas affected by the fire. Please donate today, to bring life-saving aid like food, clean water, and shelter to desperate children and families.
Children and their families are at risk of disease from contaminated water, and lack of access to sanitation facilities.
Almost 1 million Rohingya refugees are fully reliant on food aid because they are not allowed to work and have no land to grow any food.
Refugee women and girls are at serious risk of gender-based violence. They don’t feel safe leaving their shelter and domestic violence rates have risen.
Two years on, life in the camps is stable; however, Rohingya children still face the risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation, as well as physical danger and disease.
Without legal rights and protection, all refugees, and especially children, are vulnerable to human trafficking, child labour, forced labour, early marriage, gender-based violence and other forms of exploitation and abuse.
Together with your support, we can help prevent such abuses, while protecting and promoting children’s rights. We are also promoting and protecting their rights through our advocacy work with international, national and local governments.
Our goal is to help protect the safety and dignity of refugees in the camps, and advocate for their safe, dignified and voluntary return to Myanmar when conditions are conducive there to do so. We need your help to achieve this!
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In 2022, 84.4% of World Vision New Zealand's total operating expenses were used for international program support that benefited children, families and communities in need. Learn more.