Rohingya children still in Rakhine suffering more

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children, still living in Rakhine State, are suffering much more than the children, who took shelter in Cox’s Bazar, as there is virtually no access for the international organisations to the affected areas to help them. And, according to multiple sources, even with extremely limited access, things will get worse if adequate and timely funding is not made available. Like Cox’s Bazar, Rakhine State is also vulnerable to upcoming monsoon and cyclone season, sources said, adding that funding is urgently required to address the issue.

According to UNICEF, the United Nation’s organ that deals with children, access to distressed people in conflict-affected areas remains extremely challenging.

The UNICEF is working with interagency colleagues to update the preparedness and response planning for the upcoming cyclone season with a focus on Rakhine state.

A total of 3.19 lakh (319,000) children, which is about 37 per cent of the people in need of humanitarian assistance, need help and without funding the UNICEF will not be able to address the needs of the children.

The UNICEF appealed for a fund of $ 31.78 million to assist  and protect Rohingya children in Rakhine. But, so far, it received only about $12 million, and a gap of $19 million persists.

“Children, who are living in Cox’s Bazar, are safe here. At least, they are not being made victims of any torture or any other problems. Despite that, the condition in which they are living is far from ideal,” an official of an international organisation told The Independent.

“In Rakhine, there is virtually no access for the international organisations to the affected areas, so it is extremely difficult to know the exact state of hundreds of children. But, given the treatment they use to receive in Rakhine from the security forces, authorities and people from other ethnic groups, it can be easily imagined that the children over there are suffering much more than in Cox’s Bazar,” he said.

“Look, we are working extremely hard every day to manage fund to help the children. Fund is coming but not in the way we like,” an UNICEF official told this correspondent.

When asked about the reason behind the slow flow of funding, he said that one of the main reasons is that the Rohingya crisis is competing with many other crises across the world.

The UNICEF has expressed its concern about the conditions of crowded internally-displaced camps in central Rakhine where people remain reliant on humanitarian assistance.

The camps, erected in 2012, were constructed based on technical guidelines provided by the government of Myanmar. Agencies note that space allotments in camps are inadequate, leading to overcrowding of houses, people, and social service points. Current concerns include the need for rehabilitation or reconstruction of shelters, access pathways within the camps, and improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene, and education facilities.

In Myanmar’s Maungdaw District—comprised of Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships—accurate figures of the population of Rakhine and ethnic minorities are still unavailable.

The UNICEF does not have access or permission from the government of Myanmar to conduct basic needs assessments. Access constraints for UNICEF remain the biggest hurdle to assessments, implementation, and programme monitoring.

Rohingya children still in Rakhine suffering more

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children, still living in Rakhine State, are suffering much more than the children, who took shelter in Coxs Bazar, as there is virtually no access for the international organisations to the affected areas to help them. And, according to multiple sources, even with extremely limited access, things will get worse if adequate and timely funding is not made available. Like Coxs Bazar, Rakhine State is also vulnerable to upcoming monsoon and cyclone season, sources said, adding that funding is urgently required to address the issue. According to UNICEF, the United Nations organ that deals with children, access to distressed people in conflict-affected areas remains extremely challenging. The UNICEF is working with interagency colleagues to update the preparedness and response planning for the upcoming cyclone season with a focus on Rakhine state. A total of 3.19 lakh (319,000) children, which is about 37 per cent of the people in need of humanitarian assistance, need help and without funding the UNICEF will not be able to address the needs of the children. The UNICEF appealed for a fund of $ 31.78 million to assist and protect Rohingya children in Rakhine. But, so far, it received only about $12 million, and a gap of $19 million persists. Children, who are living in Coxs Bazar, are safe here. At least, they are not being made victims of any torture or any other problems. Despite that, the condition in which they are living is far from ideal, an official of an international organisation told The Independent. In Rakhine, there is virtually no access for the international organisations to the affected areas, so it is extremely difficult to know the exact state of hundreds of children. But, given the treatment they use to receive in Rakhine from the security forces, authorities and people from other ethnic groups, it can be easily imagined that the children over there are suffering much more than in Coxs Bazar, he said. Look, we are working extremely hard every day to manage fund to help the children. Fund is coming but not in the way we like, an UNICEF official told this correspondent. When asked about the reason behind the slow flow of funding, he said that one of the main reasons is that the Rohingya crisis is competing with many other crises across the world. The UNICEF has expressed its concern about the conditions of crowded internally-displaced camps in central Rakhine where people remain reliant on humanitarian assistance. The camps, erected in 2012, were constructed based on technical guidelines provided by the government of Myanmar. Agencies note that space allotments in camps are inadequate, leading to overcrowding of houses, people, and social service points. Current concerns include the need for rehabilitation or reconstruction of shelters, access pathways within the camps, and improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene, and education facilities. In Myanmars Maungdaw Districtcomprised of Maungdaw and Buthidaung townshipsaccurate figures of the population of Rakhine and ethnic minorities are still unavailable. The UNICEF does not have access or permission from the government of Myanmar to conduct basic needs assessments. Access constraints for UNICEF remain the biggest hurdle to assessments, implementation, and programme monitoring.