Cox’s Bazar refugee camp is the world’s largest refugee camp that is home to nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees that escaped the horrific fate of ethnic cleansing and persecution back in their homeland Myanmar. Even though Cox\’s Bazar refugee camp is administered by Bangladesh’s government, yet due to a lack of citizenship status refugees living in these camps are faced with immense challenges and hardships.
The living conditions in these camps are truly devastating, with poor lighting, lack of essentials, and inadequate sanitation the Rohingya refugees are living a miserable life with no hope for a better tomorrow.
How Did the Crisis Begin in the Cox’s Bazar?
The main challenge faced by the Rohingya refugees taking shelter in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps is flooding. The areas where refugee camps are setup is heavily prone to catastrophic floods. These floods are responsible for sweeping away the entire livelihood of Rohingya refugees that they built from scratch since being displaced from their homeland.
These refugee camps are inhabited by nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, hence they are extremely overcrowded and the supply of essentials such as food and water along with healthcare is quite limited.
Furthermore, back in 2021 over 45,000 refugees lost their shelters to the destructive fires of Cox’s Bazar. Congested makeshift camps with insignificant space in between make the entire area highly vulnerable to devastating fire breakouts.
What are the Challenges faced by Refugees in Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camp?
Back in 2017, when the largest exodus against Rohingya people took place, many Rohingya Muslims fled their country and took refuge in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps with little or no supply of essentials such as food, clothing, and water. Since then the living conditions inside these camps have worsened and they are far from improving.
Rohingya refugees dodge the dreadful fate of mass execution against them, however, they are helpless in the face of challenges faced in these camps. The camps inside Cox’s Bazar refugee camp are truly in shambles, from poor lighting, severe lack of food supplies, and contaminated water sources to lack of education and quality healthcare, Rohingya refugees have nowhere to go except suffering in these inhumane conditions.
Occupants of these camps especially women and young children are vulnerable to serious offenses and acts of violence that include human trafficking, exploitation, molestation, and lack of freedom of movement.
Apart from all these challenges, Cox’s Bazar refugee camp is at constant risk of flooding and other catastrophes such as fires, and destructive landslides. The Rohingya refugees live in temporary shelters constructed with unreliable materials such as bamboo and tarpaulins. In fact, a few refugees have no shelter at all, according to the UN over 5,000 Rohingya refugees live their lives without any roof over their heads.
Over the years, heavy rain spells and monsoon winds have swept away entire camps of Rohingya refugees leaving them behind with no possessions and erasing their sole sources of income such as livestock, fisheries, and crops.
The Covid-19 pandemic has put additional stress on the already challenged community of Cox\’s Bazar refugee camp. During the pandemic, the food insecurity for Rohingya refugees has skyrocketed and they are forced to starve.
In short, the challenges faced by the Rohingya refugees in these camps are innumerable and the living conditions continue to worsen every day for this helpless community of refugees seeking refuge in Cox\’s Bazar refugee camp.
Conclusion
Recent floods and other disasters such as fire have been really challenging for Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp. In addition to that, the limited supply of essentials such as food, water, and healthcare facilities is another hurdle that torments the already traumatized occupants of Cox’s Bazar refugee camp.
But do you know? You can become a ray of hope for these helpless people who have no way out. Through your generous donations to Ekplatebiryani, you can take part in aid projects such as the Rohingya charity for making the lives of Rohingya refugees easier.
Hence, come forward today and join hands with us to provide relief for many refugee families that live painfully in the inhumane conditions of Cox’s Bazar refugee camp.
