Dhaka, Bangladesh, September 19, 2024 — dir="ltr">Around 8,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Cox’s Bazar since 1st September, as a result of the worsening conflict in Rakhine State in Myanmar. They join around 50,000 people who are currently waiting to seek refuge in Bangladesh, where the national government is refusing to allow those fleeing conflict to enter the country.
The IRC’s health team is on the ground to provide emergency healthcare to those who are fleeing military attacks in Myanmar into Bangladesh. Over the last two months, 83 Rohingya were provided with primary treatment and medication, with many people presenting injuries sustained from conflict.
Hasina Rahman, IRC Bangladesh Director, said,
“It has been months since the conflict in Rakhine state has escalated to grave severity, with 600,000 Rohingya people at risk of violence and persecution. Thousands of people have been forced to seek safety in Bangladesh, which has historically extended welcome to those in need of help.
“Around 50,000 Rohingya are gathering at Bangladesh’s borders, being refused entry despite having fled horrifying circumstances at home. This situation is untenable, and the IRC is calling for the Government of Bangladesh to allow them to seek safety in Cox’s Bazar.
“The IRC’s health team has witnessed the extreme condition that Rohingya refugees are in once they arrive in Cox’s Bazar. Our staff have reported treating clients with conflict-sustained injuries and serious illnesses as a result of making the treacherous journey from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and we are deeply concerned for the safety of vulnerable groups, including women and girls, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The longer they are forced to reside in makeshift camps on the border, the more likely that vulnerable groups - particularly women and girls - are likely to face protection issues such as violence, trafficking and abuse.
“Meanwhile, the international community must do more to step up support and advocate for shared responsibility among neighboring countries on this issue. Seeking safety is a human right; people must not be left to languish on the borderlines of conflict or pushed back to dangerous territories. Bangladesh has generously provided sanctuary for almost one million Rohingya refugees since 2017, and it is high time that the international community recognizes the immense pressure and strain on resources this is causing.
“In addition, funding to the humanitarian organizations who are providing lifesaving care for those fleeing the conflict in Myanmar must be increased. Unless support is dramatically scaled up, aid agencies will be unable to continue to meet the needs of those whose lives are in danger.”
The IRC began responding to the Rohingya crisis in August 2017 and launched its response officially in March 2018. With over 400 staff in Bangladesh and operating across 27 camps across the district, our teams provide essential healthcare to the host community as well as the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar, as well as reproductive and maternal healthcare, child protection, education, prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence, and Emergency Disaster Risk Reduction (EDRR). Since 2021, the IRC has supported communities in southern Bangladesh in Health, Protection, Education, and Economic Recovery in response to climate change and climate-induced disasters.
In Myanmar, the IRC began work in 2008, providing humanitarian relief in response to Cyclone Nargis. Since then, the IRC has become a valued partner of both government and local aid organizations. We provide health care, water and sanitation services, career training, and support for community development projects.