Not Going (Home)… Anytime Soon

By Lion’s Voice

While we hide in the comfort and security of our homes, walk confidently on the streets and arm ourselves with social distancing, we forget a group of people who will struggle daily just to see the next sunrise. And while we watch in horror as COVID-19 ravages all corners of the world, we seem to have forgotten that the situation is far more dire and serious for forcibly displaced persons and refugees who are the most vulnerable.

We all know that the most effective interventions to protect against COVID-19 – frequent hand washing, adherence to social-distancing guidelines, and wearing a mask. The sad truth is these measures are hardly available, and considered and luxury to the less fortunate and displaced persons.

Many of the world’s 79.5 million forcibly displaced individuals lack access to clean water or soap, let alone health care. Living in cramped tents in overcrowded camps, is not uncommon for an entire family to share a single mask. This puts refugees at heightened risk of contracting – and dying from – the virus. In one hotel in southern Greece, 148 asylum seekers tested positive for COVID-19. In Singapore, 93% of COVID-19 cases occurred in dorms housing migrant workers. But in my eyes, the most group of people affected the most, and who cries out for our attention and action, are the Rohingya refugees living at Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

Since 2017, more than 800,000 have fled from neighbouring Myanmar’s brutal military crackdown seeking refuge - creating a situation where the country’s government officials have described as “untenable.” And while some nations have seen a drop in COVID-19 numbers or have managed to keep numbers to a minimum, there are fears that an uncontained outbreak of COVID-19 in the refugee camps, such as the main camp in Cox’s Bazar– the largest and most overcrowded in the world – could be devastating.

And while many obediently observe social distancing, it is simply not possible with several hundred thousand people living in an area of just 13 square kilometres. It's just a matter of time until the virus reaches the vulnerable population living in cramped conditions in the largest refugee settlement on earth.

In addition to COVID-19, relentless rain and hazardous weather have added to the challenges. According to humanitarian reports, over 100,000 refugees have been affected due to the heavy monsoon rains this year, that destroyed shelters and washed away crops.

The international community should take a more proactive stance in (quickly) offering a bold package of assistance to meet the needs of both refugees and host communities in Bangladesh. Estimates have parked this figure about roughly $434 million, which in honest truth – isn’t enough to fully address the various issues. But more importantly, I feel that the help should be rendered to the host country and communities as well. The spotlight is so bright on the Rohingya crisis, that we often and are quick to forget that the host nation, such as Bangladesh, is already struggling to provide basic necessities such as food and clean water to communities where refugees are now settling. Even before the recent influx, there already have been a myriad of issues between locals and Rohingya refugees over basic necessities. It is therefore crucial that we recognise and acknowledge the fact that financial or long-term social/community infrastructure support cannot be just be for refugees. It is imperative that help and support must also be rendered to help improve the standard of living for host communities.

There is also the dire need to re-look at existing policies and programmes - and possibly create new ones, that will help both the people of Bangladesh and Rohingya succeed. For example, trade barriers can be moved to open new doors and markets for Bangladeshi companies. The international community can also step in to facilitate private sector investment that will help Bangladesh make critical economic reforms that will help the nation reap long term economic and social infrastructure benefits.

But in order for the change and reform to truly work, I feel that the international community must first acknowledge the fact that the Rohingya refugee crisis is will not end anytime soon. And because of this, solutions, reforms and action plans need to be made for the long haul. The reality is that there is little prospect that the Rohingya refugees will be able to return home any time soon. According to a recent UN report, creating conditions that are conducive to the Rohingya people’s safe and sustainable return to Myanmar will require “whole-of-society engagement”, as well as resumed dialogue between Myanmar authorities and Rohingya refugees. So while we, the international community, continue to press on to provide support to a population that is vulnerable and traumatised, we also should have the added responsibility to work with the government and relevant authorities on solutions that will address not just critical needs now, but also in the long haul.