January 31, 2025
26 NGOs reveal extent of Israeli authorities’ action against humanitarian response a year since ICJ ruling
In August 2017, over 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following a violent military crackdown, described as “genocidal in intent,” in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They joined Rohingya refugees who had been fleeing the country since the 1970s. Today, nearly a million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, most of them in Cox’s Bazar district near the Myanmar border, forming the world’s largest refugee camp.
At the same time, Malaysia hosts more than 100,000 Rohingya people, with nearly 20,000 others seeking refuge in India and additional populations in Thailand and Indonesia. These refugees face denial of their status and constitute the largest stateless community in the world.
In Myanmar, systematic human rights violations against the Rohingya, exacerbated by the February 2021 coup, have intensified this crisis. In April 2024, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted worrying signs of increased atrocities against Rohingya people in Rakhine State. Insufficient efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling in the region put these displaced people at heightened risk of sex and labor trafficking. This is compounded by restrictions on human rights and manifestations of xenophobia and Islamophobia, such as denial of access to national territories, unsafe disembarkation, indefinite detention, deportation, and violations of the principle of “non-refoulement.”
People fleeing persecution often endure extreme conditions, leading to precarious physical and mental states after weeks or months of displacement. Upon arrival in third countries, refugees are typically placed in detention centers with limited assistance to meet their basic needs. Most humanitarian organizations generally do not have access to these displaced people.
Faced with this crisis, Doctors of the World launched a program in 2017 to assist refugee populations in Bangladesh, partnering with several local NGOs to improve care, especially concerning gender-based violence. During this intervention, we encountered numerous access difficulties and a significant deterioration in living conditions within the camps.
From 2020, we extended our efforts to the Rohingya refugee populations in Malaysia, supporting local humanitarian organizations to enhance care capacity, including deploying mobile clinics. Here too, we faced numerous obstacles hindering our access to these populations.
Due to the many challenges, including funding cuts in humanitarian aid, we were forced to cease our activities in Bangladesh and Malaysia. This withdrawal marks the end of our ground engagement to improve the living and health conditions of refugees in the region. However, we remain deeply concerned about their situation and are exploring other ways to support them.
Despite our efforts and those of other humanitarian organizations, the challenges facing Rohingya refugees persist. Deteriorating security in refugee camps, lack of prospects, and the absence of legal and safe migration routes push refugee populations onto dangerous paths of exile, exposing them to risks of violence, exploitation, and trafficking.
Doctors of the World calls on the international community to intensify support for humanitarian organizations responding to the urgent needs of Rohingya refugees. Chronic underfunding of the humanitarian response endangers affected populations in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and other countries.
Wherever Rohingya populations seek refuge, it is crucial to ensure their access to healthcare, strengthen the protection of their human rights, and promote durable solutions for their integration and security. Government actors must remove administrative barriers, allow NGOs access to these vulnerable populations, and ensure their protection.
We thank all our partners, volunteers, and donors for their unwavering support throughout our mission.
Photographer:
Arnaud Finistre