Eight years ago, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled genocide in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and took refuge in Bangladesh. Many more arrived in the following years, while others had already been living in the country. The number of registered Rohingya in the camps of Cox’s Bazar has now exceeded 1.4 million (14 lakh). Apart from those registered, there are still more Rohingya living in Bangladesh. None of the Rohingyas who took shelter in Bangladesh have been able to return to Myanmar. Meanwhile, international aid for the Rohingyas has fallen sharply. Many schools for the Rohingya children have been forced to close down. Against this backdrop, UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh, Rana Flowers, spoke to Prothom Alo’s correspondent Mostafa Yousuf last month about the overall situation.
International aid for the Rohingya community has fallen at an alarming rate. With the educational programmes closing, many local people are losing their jobs, sparking anger and resentment. How is UNICEF addressing this crisis?
UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh, Rana Flowers, says that because of the funding crisis, many local staff have been let go. She hastens to add that they they have not been sitting idle. We introduced a skills development programme for the local people, she says, where they can receive training in computer operations, graphic design, front desk management, hotel management, food and beverage, and more. Many have already secured jobs also.
Not everyone has joined the programme . About 60 per cent of the young people have had to return to their home districts. Around 25 per cent have joined the skills development programme. The remaining 15 per cent were displeased and protested even resorting to violence and in some cases. This included attacks on offices and vandalism at offices, detaining local officials, and issuing threats. This is very sad for us, says Rana Flowers.
There are allegations that there was not sufficient consultation with locals before the schools were closed.
It was a very difficult decision, says Rana Flowers. She says they had anticipated funding would come, but it did not. That forced them to close the schools abruptly. Perhaps it could have been phased out gradually, but that was not possible in reality. The hard truth is that it was the funding shortage that compelled this. We informed the authorities, she said.
The crisis of funds is difficult for everyone. But violence can never be justified. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. Moreover, many of the protesters’ demands prioritised their own interests over the rights of the children. For example, they wanted the nutritious biscuits provided for children to be stopped and the money handed over to them instead.
Which level of education is UNICEF focusing on for the Rohingya at present?
Our capacity still remains limited, says Flowers. We are unable to run primary education programmes. We are focusing on secondary education, because at this age, the risks of child marriage and recruitment by extremist groups are particularly high.
About the current budget for education in the Rohingya camps, the UNICEF representative says that previously the annual education budget was about USD 26 million (USD 2.6 crore). Just paying incentives to teachers requires USD 15 million (USD 1.5 crore) annually. We now have less than half of that. As a result, many initiatives like building new infrastructure, running digital platforms, and community classes for adolescent girls have been discontinued.
What percentage of Rohingya children are currently covered by UNICEF’s education programmes?
UNICEF alone runs about 75 per cent of education activities in the Rohingya camps, says Rana Flowers. We operate 4,538 schools, reaching approximately 228,000 children. The rest are run by other organisations. But the major responsibility falls on UNICEF.
How does UNICEF plan to handle the crisis now?
Our primary goal now is to draw the attention of the international community, says UNICEF representative Flowers. Because of the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, the Rohingya community cannot return home. Meanwhile, the funding crisis is threatening the very survival of Rohingya children.
We are working to raise this issue as strongly as possible. Alongside that, we are looking internally at where we can cut costs and consolidate services. For example, if two health centres exist in one place and services can be provided with just one, then one must be closed, she says.
She adds, we do not have money to purchase new textbooks, so we must continue using old ones. Cuts are also affecting soap and LPG gas distribution. If LPG supply stops in September, people will begin cutting trees for fuel, which could lead to a severe environmental disaster.
With ongoing crises in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan, do you have any plan to bring back global attention to the Rohingya issue?
In reply, says the UNICEF official, the international crises keep unfolding one after another, including in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. Amidst all this, the Rohingya issue seems to be forgotten. Yet a least developed country like Bangladesh has been hosting millions of Rohingya for seven to eight years. The media can play a crucial role in putting this crisis back on the world agenda. Because if no funds come in, we will not be able to protect the basic rights of Rohingya children to survive.
Have the Rohingya people themselves taken any initiatives regarding the learning centres?
Replying in the affirmative, Rana Flowers says they are running a few learning centres voluntarily. There are some initiatives particularly for girls but on a small scale. The main challenge is that without work opportunities outside the camps, frustration is growing among Rohingya youth.
That is why we want some training and skills development programmes to be introduced for them inside the camps, she maintains. That way, they will be able to use these skills if and when they return home. However, without government approval, we cannot undertake anything major at the moment.
Recently, concerns have grown over the safety of NGO workers. How are you dealing with this?
The situation is quite difficult, agrees Rana Flowers. Many NGO workers and their families have received threats. Some cannot go to their offices. In some cases, there have even been attacks on staff, and we have video evidence of this. Ensuring security is now our biggest challenge.
