Current Circumstances and Challenges of Support for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Abstract

, over 670,000 Rohingya refugees have flooded into Bangladesh fleeing the tyranny of the Myanmar military. The government of Bangladesh, various agencies of the United Nations, and nongovernmental organizations have provided emergency humanitarian support for them. This study explores the current circumstances of the support for Rohingya refugees by conducting fieldwork in some camps in Bangladesh and examines the issue of disparity in support among camps and households. The field data show that the disparity is caused by problems in the support system and geographic conditions of the camps. The present support system coordinates aid organizations and their work through inter/intrasector cooperation. Open-access information on the needs and populations in all camps is updated frequently and meant to be fed back to the coordination centers. However, there are some hard-to-reach camps located in disadvantaged areas because site selection by each aid organization takes priority over the coordination based on gap analysis of support and relief. In addition, this paper points out other problems in the relief distribution process and methods and maintenance of common facilities.