A life of fear with no refuge: the Rohingya's struggle for survival and dignity

The Rohingya living in the north of Rakhine State of Myanmar are legally obliged to purchase expensive marriage permits, unlike the rest of the population. Children being born out of marriage often results in high informal fines or imprisonment and a two child only policy applies.

Weak, dehydrated and traumatized, the Rohingya people stepping off the boats that make it to Thailand's shores tell an alarming story. This is a story that begins across the Andaman Sea, that the Rohingya risk their lives to cross, in Myanmar.

Here, the Rohingya, a minority Muslim ethnic group, have suffered decades of restrictions and indignities that have led countless people to flee across the border to neighboring Bangladesh and further afield. Those who make the often risky and dangerous journey abroad find their suffering far from over, facing detention, deportation or life in overcrowded and unsanitary refugee camps.

Staff from the international humanitarian organization M'decins Sans Fronti'res (MSF) have witnessed first-hand the medical consequences of this groups plight from its projects in Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand. Contrary to claims that the Rohingya are solely economic migrants or opportunists, MSF's experience exposes the situation for what it really is - a chronic humanitarian crisis.

"I was relieved to make it to shore alive. At sea, I saw another boat carrying around 80 people sink in front of my eyes. I think everyone died." - Man, Thailand, 2008.

MSF has been granted access to groups of Rohingya detained by the Thai authorities in recent years.

"On arrival their medical condition speaks volumes about the experience that they have undergone at sea," explained Richard Veerman, MSF Head of Mission in Thailand. "We generally treat people for dehydration, skin disease and bruising, varying in severity - depending on the length of their journey.

"Last year we found out that one immigration detention center was holding 600 Rohingya: many had been detained for around three months and were showing signs of stress. Some appeared to be suffering from severe psychological trauma."

Over the past two years the number of Rohingya arriving in Thailand has reached an all time high.

"This is a clear indication that more needs to be done, not only to ensure adequate assistance on the spot, but to address the root cause of the problem back in Myanmar," said Veerman.

"I don't believe I'll ever go back. It is evident that things are still very bad in Myanmar and, even if we live with minimum support and help in Bangladesh, at least we don't have to fear." - Man, Tal Camp, Bangladesh, 2008.

Cox's Bazaar, on the eastern shores of Bangladesh, has seen countless Rohingya come and go over the years; those who have fled from Myanmar and those who pile into overcrowded boats headed for Thailand and beyond. For those who stay, living can be extremely tough.

MSF began providing health services for the Rohingya in Bangladesh in 1998, most recently assisting about 7,500 people who struggled to survive, otherwise unaided, in atrocious living conditions in Tal Makeshift Camp.

"The overcrowded, unhygienic living conditions were a breeding ground for respiratory tract infections and skin diseases. Diarrhea was rife and many of the children were malnourished. Mental health problems added to the burden, and an MSF program was started to support those struggling with the psychological impact of life in the camp," said Gabi Popescu, MSF Medical Coordinator in Bangladesh.

"Over the years I have heard many reasons why people fled from Myanmar. A woman and her three children left following her husband's arrest, in fear for her family. Another couple left, the woman some months pregnant, out of fear of the repercussions they would face for being unable to afford the official marriage license, not to mention the child birth license."

The Rohingya living in the north of Rakhine State of Myanmar are legally obliged to purchase expensive marriage permits, unlike the rest of the population. Children being born out of marriage often results in high informal fines or imprisonment and a two child only policy applies.

"My daughter was pregnant and took the root drink and was given a rough abdominal massage from a relative to kill the baby. When we went to see the doctor she was having fits and bleeding badly. I was scared the authorities would force us to pay a big fine or arrest her because she was pregnant and not married. We didn't take her to the hospital as the doctor told us to but we went to the local healer. She died the next day." - A woman in Tal Camp, Bangladesh, speaking about an experience in Rakhine State (NRS), Myanmar.

Despite the daily hardships people face in Bangladesh, returning to Myanmar is an option few Rohingya seem willing to consider. At the root of their reluctance lies fear.

"People fear that they will be punished for marrying without permission, for having children without permission, for traveling without permission, for having left without permission, for doing anything without permission, and permission costs money, something that the Rohingya have little of - partly due to the numerous other discriminatory measures imposed upon them," said Popescu.

MSF has worked in Rakhine State for the last 16 years, and encounters the fragile health status of the Muslim population on a regular basis. An estimated one million Muslims - known as Rohingya only outside of Myanmar - live here. The fact that they require authorization for so many things, including travel outside their villages, affects their access to healthcare - especially in emergencies - and increases their vulnerability.

In 2007, during MSF's last major nutrition intervention, 90 percent of the malnourished children treated were Rakhine Muslim, even though they constitute only 45 percent of the population in the affected area.

MSF has been providing medical assistance to the Rohingya for years and is witness to their ongoing suffering both inside and outside of Myanmar.

"Without a fundamental solution for the Rohingya not only in countries where they seek asylum but at their origin, there is no apparent end to this humanitarian crisis," said Hans Van De Weerd, MSF General Director in Holland.

Source: Alertnet.
Link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/MSFIntl/123555724325.htm.