Persecution and discrimination against Rohingya in Myanmar
Rohingya is mainly a Muslim minority in Myanmar. The population is said to be over 2 million1, most of whom live in Rakhine State in western Myanmar. In Myanmar, where more than 100 ethnic minorities live, there have been constant conflicts between these ethnic groups and the Myanmar military, especially in the border areas.Persecution and violence have surrounded the Rohingya people for decades.
In 1962, the military that seized power by a coup d’état increased discrimination and oppression against the Rohingya. Since 1978, they have fled to neighboring Bangladesh and other places. The revised Nationality Law (Citizenship Law), which came into force in 1982, deprived the Rohingya of nationality and citizenship as illegal immigrants.
Since then, discrimination, oppression, and social attacks on the Rohingya had gradually intensified.
They have been housed in camps, deprived of their freedom of movement, as well as of their basic human rights such as education and medical care. Meanwhile, tensions and armed conflicts between the anti-military armed groups and the Myanmar military intensified, and culminated in the massacre of the Rohingya by the Myanmar Armed Forces, which began on August 25, 2017. It is estimated that over 20 000 people2 were killed in an atrocious manner, including arson, shootings and rapes. Since that day, more than 700,000 people had crossed the border into Bangladesh.
Today, the camp in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh is now home to nearly 1.2 million people, including formerly-settled refugees.
©Arnaud Finistre
Our Activities
Shortly after the massive influx of Rohingya into Bangladesh, as of now the world’s largest refugee crisis, in September 2017, Médecins du Monde began medical treatment in camps.
Since 2018, when the emergency response took hold, our support shifted to outreach to people who need medical care but cannot make it to clinics to help them access healthcare.
As time of their refuge goes by, we have been working on awareness raising activities for disease prevention and health maintenance / promotion in the community, and nurturing community support mechanism. MdM works with Rohingya volunteers so that they themselves educate and empower their peers.
©Kazuo Koishi
Our work in host community
©MdM Japan
The large influx of refugees revealed needs in essential services for the host community. Against this background, MdM also carries out community health activities such as health education and awareness campaigns in the host community. We are also helping community clinics in their capacity building with local partners and staff.
Together with the Rohingya
Rohingya people cannot see clear prospects in their future. They are spending days in limbo, still longing for returning to Myanmar, which has been greatly affected by geopolitics, and without fulfillment of basic human rights or entitlement to nationality. Médecins du Monde has been supporting people so that they maintain and improve their mental and physical health with awareness of their right to health.
©Kazuo Koishi
1 – https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11359
2 – Habib, M., et al. (2018). Forced migration of Rohingya : the untold experience, p84
What has happened to Rohingya refugees / Our work
2017 |
25 August |
| December 2017 – April 2018 Providing access to basic healthcare services in the refugee camp → Referred 80 children, 140 pregnant women, and 50 elderly people for medical care. Conducted health education activities. |
|
2018 |
|
| August 2018 – May 2019 Health and disaster preparedness awareness raising in the refugee camp → Approximately 9,000 people reached through awareness campaigns led by Rohingya community volunteers. |
|
2019 |
|
| May 2019 – March 2020 Health and hygiene education for young people in the refugee camp and surrounding host communities → Around 120 youth volunteers conducted awareness raising activities for approximately 3,400 young people. → Awareness sessions were delivered to around 300 students at five high schools in host communities. |
|
August |
|
September |
|
2020 |
May |
| May 2020 – March 2021 COVID-19 awareness and community support activities for elderly persons and people with disabilities in the refugee camp and host communities → Approximately 30,000 people reached through door-to-door visits, megaphone announcements, and awareness raising activities at mosques on COVID-19 prevention, testing, and treatment. → Trained 90 community volunteers to support elderly people and persons with disabilities who were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. → Conducted training to strengthen healthcare services at clinics in host communities. |
|
| July – December Home visits and awareness raising activities by community health volunteers in the refugee camp → Thirty-eight health volunteers monitored pregnant women, provided consultations, conducted home visits, and delivered COVID-19 awareness. |
|
August |
|
December |
|
2021 |
February |
| March onward Awareness raising and support for capacity building of health facilities on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and control |
|
2024 |
|
August |
|
2025 |
July |
2026 |
February |
To date, nearly 1.2 million people have fled to Bangladesh
