A Neglected People: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis

I’m Afaf, currently studying Law at Lancaster University and aiming for a career in International Law and Human Rights. As a person from Indian-Administered Kashmir, I’m well aware of the devastating impact conflict can have on a society. I strongly believe writing is a powerful tool for raising awareness of injustices against humanity, especially when it uses language that emphasises the horrific nature of what people experience. While researching this piece, I came to realise how the media has severely neglected the Rohingya crisis, despite it being one of the greatest refugee crises in the world. I believe that the international community must refocus on the Rohingya, especially in light of Myanmar’s continued attempts at ethnically cleansing its native population, and that the best way to do that is to educate people worldwide.

This piece focuses mainly on the conditions of the camps in Bangladesh, but in addition highlights the height of discrimination, injustice and oppression Rohingya face, not only in Myanmar, but also in other countries.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault, violence, and discrimination.

---

As one of the world's most persecuted groups of stateless people globally, the Rohingya people have historically fled violence, tyranny and oppression, and continue to experience ongoing rights violations, displacement, and persecution. In one of the most well-known and complex refugee settings, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, more than one million people continue to be forced to reside in deeply harmful conditions, met with little to no coverage from mainstream media. This blog post provides an overview of the realities of the ‘Rohingya crisis’ and of the picture of displacement in Bangladesh and beyond.

Background and context: who are the Rohingya, and why are they stateless?

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnolinguistic group native to Rakhine State, Myanmar (formerly Burma). For decades, Myanmar’s government officials and the militia have attempted to forcibly displace its Rohingya population, following government-backed nationalist uprisings and riots from the majority Buddhist citizens. The Rohingya are considered ‘illegal immigrants’ in Myanmar and cannot obtain citizenship, leaving the vast majority of people legally stateless. Linked to ongoing cycles of violence dating back more than 50 years, a large proportion of Myanmar’s Rohingya population have fled to neighbouring countries - most notably Bangladesh, alongside Malaysia.

In 2017, the Myanmar military launched a sweeping campaign of massacres, rape and arson in Rakhine State against the Rohingya, atrocities the International Court of Justice has contested as potentially constituting ethnic cleansing and genocide. This led to almost 700,000 Rohingya crossing the border into Bangladesh.

Then in 2021, the Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, staged a coup, overthrowing its elected government and triggering a civil war within the country, with further displacement as Rohingya and other people from Myanmar escaped horrific brutalities.

As a result of ongoing hostilities, around a million Rohingya reside in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as refugees, with a large majority of people having lived there for close to ten years or more. Cox’s Bazar hosts 34 camps, including the world's largest: Kutupalong. This article will cover the realities of the conditions in these camps, including factors which have contributed to persecution and displacement in Myanmar.

UN Refugee Convention

According to the UN Refugee Convention, a refugee is defined as someone who has a “well-founded” fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, and so on.  This status grants people a range of fundamental, statutory rights - including housing, education, decent work, access to justice, and the like. The host state must ensure refugee camps provide people with necessities.

Bangladesh, however, is not a signatory to the Convention, nor are there any domestic laws recognising the categories of “refugee” and “asylum seeker”, despite being a major hosting nation. The UNHCR has attempted to repeatedly convince the State to sign, as they claim it would provide the government with a more structured response to asylum seekers. Notwithstanding these efforts, Bangladesh remains a state with far fewer avenues to be held internationally accountable for the conditions of refugees. As a consequence, Rohingya are often not able to demand their human rights.

Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district borders Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where the vast majority of its refugees are Rohingya. It is often described as holding the world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong.

But without legally guaranteed rights, how are Rohingya refugees treated?

Refugee Treatment in Cox’s Bazar

Humanitarian organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and countless others have frequently reported deplorable conditions in Cox’s Bazar. 

Over a million people are living in the camps, around 200,000 families spread across 34 camps in just 24 km² - one of the most densely populated places in the world. In a testimony published by MSF, Abdul Hassan, a 55-year-old man living there, describes having to divide a single room into 3 separate rooms to accommodate his 12 family members. The shelters are made using non-durable materials like bamboo and tarp, not built to withstand the harsh Bangladeshi natural disasters; monsoon seasons bring devastation to these camps through landslides, flash floods, windstorms and more. Residents are forced to use communal toilets with no privacy, leaving women and children especially vulnerable. As there is also no functioning plumbing system, families must collect water with their hands, having to travel long distances to reach water pumps. This is part of a wider context where, despite the near-decade of large-scale displacement to Cox’s Bazar, the government of Bangladesh rejects any forms of assistance or development which would give the impression of permanence to the setting.

Since Rohingya refugees are not able to work in Bangladesh, they heavily rely on foreign humanitarian assistance. However, aid is often extremely scarce, especially in a time of cuts to foreign assistance budgets, with reports of cash assistance programmes being able to provide just 8USD/month; not nearly enough for necessities. Food rations are given, but are rarely sufficient. Trishna testifies that the food scarcity is the main problem, as the rations are inconsistent. Some villagers even attempt to sell their food rations for more money.

Some NGOs have provided other projects that aim to support livelihoods in other ways, such as Cordaid, who offered . a vertical gardening programme, where refugees are taught how to build a garden using bamboo frames, grow bags, and vegetable seeds - as there is no space to grow on the ground. Jamila, a participant in the programme, recounts how being able to grow vegetables has benefited her family by selling, cooking, and distributing them to neighbours. Projects like this may offer  hope, but regardless, the situation remains dire.

In addition to food insecurity, there are also systemic  issues regarding vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. ActionAid estimates that following the influx of Rohingya from 2017-2023, approximately 60% of those refugees were single mothers. After facing devastating sexual violence from the Myanmar military, many carried forced pregnancies as they fled into Bangladesh - although there seems to be a lack of coverage on this in recent years. Even within camps, partner sexual violence, gender-based violence and forced marriage remain a significant threat.

There have also been reports of Rohingya women being coerced into using contraception. The Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, the agency responsible for distributing humanitarian aid in Bangladesh, calls for “increasing demand for modern contraceptive methods,” stating that ‘population control’ and overcrowding are a huge challenge in the camps.

Women are having to choose between registering their babies, which would provide them with additional humanitarian services, and receiving a contraceptive implant. Oftentimes, women are being forced into receiving it through hidden procedures. This is a clear violation of bodily autonomy, informed consent and international human rights law.

On Mental Health in the camps

Many NGOs are on the ground in Bangladesh to provide humanitarian relief to refugees through basic aid essentials such as food, medical care, and counselling. 

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that is rarely mentioned, however, is the prevalence of mental health issues in the camps. There have been many studies by the International Organisation for Migration, in which refugees have reported their concerns. For example, refugees reported feelings of tension and nervousness in both adults (74%) and children (58%), due to factors such as shortage of food, poor camp and shelter conditions, health problems, etc. In a study among women with young children, 62% reported suicidal thoughts - as discussed, their conditions are particularly vulnerable given the sexual and gender-based violence they face.

There is little research on how Rohingya deal with their trauma, a barrier being the lack of communication between the Rohingya and international rights groups. Rohingyas are able to speak some common languages, such as Bangla, Burmese and English, but the only universally used language is Rohingya. As their native language does not have a unified script, verbal communication becomes essential. The language barrier leaves problems unheard and fuels the refugee struggle with mental health disorders. 

One of the ways this is being dealt with is through Rohingyas finding solace within their community. Religious leaders and healers have had a huge positive impact in tackling depression and trauma. Rohingya are strongly attached to their Islamic faith, and through working with traditional community healers, many have reported fewer PTSD-induced headaches, less trouble sleeping and less frequent nightmares. This highlights the power of amplifying existing community structures and of collaboration between international humanitarian agencies and local community leaders in driving sustainable support solutions.

Rohingya in Other Countries 

Alongside Bangladesh, Malaysia hosts a significant number of Rohingya refugees - current numbers show over 200,000 have fled from Myanmar. Many attempt to cross the treacherous Andaman Sea for the possibility of safety and economic opportunity. Even so, they face relentless challenges as asylum seekers. 

Similar to Bangladesh, Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention. Though Malaysia claims to adequately provide for refugees, refraining from signing the Convention means that its treatment of the Rohingya cannot be held accountable, as they are not bound by it.

What began as a welcoming sentiment has quickly turned sour, as Malaysian authorities are imposing bans and increasing immigration arrests in response to protests fueled by misleading media. This action is in line with the government’s decision to suspend the UNHCR refugee registration whilst Malaysia restructures its refugee management, as well as announcing the return of around 5000 Myanmar nationals, currently held in detention camps. This leaves many Rohingya without access to essential protection procedures. As recently as 27th July 2026, more than a 100 Rohingya refugees were arrested and placed in custody by authorities, many of whom were women and children, attempting to seek protection after being displaced from their homes in Penang outside the Kuala Lumpur UNHCR office. 

Rohingya are repeatedly represented in the media as “job stealers” who demand automatic citizenship and desire to politically “take over” Malaysia. During the pandemic, there was an online petition urging authorities to “Remove Rohingya from Malaysia”, gaining 420,000 signatures. This is a testament to the discriminatory attitude Rohingya face regularly. 

Amnesty International Malaysia has warned the Malaysian government against violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits refugees from returning to an environment in which they are at risk of persecution, and has questioned whether the government genuinely assessed whether sending them to Myanmar is safe for these individuals. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, the most satisfying solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis would be to have them return to their homes in Myanmar without the fear of persecution, violence and terror. Despite international efforts, the bloody civil war in Myanmar continues to terrorise minority ethnic groups and has unfortunately led to more refugees. International rights groups emphasise that the state of Myanmar must be held accountable for its genocidal atrocities. However, until then, media coverage of this crisis is the anchor to achieving justice for the Rohingya.